AN: Okay, so I didn't get nearly as many reviews as I would have liked, but the plot bunnies have invaded my mind, so I'm going to continue anyway. Here's NaruHina!

Disclaimer: Do not own Naruto

Night & Day

Naruto stared aimlessly out over the moon-bathed Leaf Village, listening to the softly rhythmic breathing of Sasuke and Sakura, sleeping curled around each other next to him. They'd just returned from their latest ANBU mission a few hours ago, and needed the communal support after the elimination of a rogue ninja they'd known personally. So together, the three of them had scrounged up an oversized sleeping mat and spread it out in Naruto's apartment. And, while it was comforting just to have his two best friends near, Naruto couldn't help but feel a little excluded after Sasuke had drawn Sakura closer and closer as he slept, until his arms encircled her waist and his knees bent behind hers like a marching pair of spoons.

To top it off, sleep refused to come. Naruto lay awake for two hours as Sasuke and Sakura's breathing slowed and steadied, Sakura's pink hair rustling each time Sasuke inhaled. Only one thing calmed Naruto down after a difficult mission, and she was probably fast asleep under Neji's watchdog eye in the Hyuuga clan compound.

Naruto's tense shoulders relaxed just thinking about her, picturing her lovely lavender eyes, imagining running his fingers through her long, silky black hair.

Hinata.

There was something to be said for dating a quiet girl. Because of her shy nature, Hinata turned out to be a fantastic listener, and she always had good advice if you paused long enough to hear it. She was calm and steady, a reliable presence that could shed light on the darkest situations, whether that light be optimism or insight. And yet, Hinata's steady personality also manifested itself in an unwavering determination that awed Naruto as it astonished him. She worked harder than any other member on Team Kurenai to build her strength, always painfully aware—as Sakura was—of her past deficiencies as a warrior. Hinata complimented Naruto perfectly, her calm personality grounding his hyperactive one, and her willpower and strength inspiring him to work just as hard. And the fact that she was the hottest kunoichi in the Leaf Village was a HUGE plus, as well.

"Naruto?" the voice of an angel asked from his window.

Naruto immediately sat bolt upright, his heart racing when he saw Hinata crouched on his windowsill clad in only a t-shirt and a pair of very short shorts. They stared at each other for a moment, each drinking in the sight of the other after their extended separation. Finally Naruto, who would rather Sasuke and Sakura not wake up to witness this reunion, looked up at the ceiling and mouthed, "the roof." Hinata nodded her understanding and sprang upward, out of sight. Naruto slid out of the room and followed, landing neatly on the flat top of his building. Hinata stood a few feet away with her back to him, gazing up at the full moon. He crept up behind her and laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hinata?"

She spun and threw her arms around his neck, burying her head into his bare chest. Naruto hugged back, one hand on the small of her back and the other entwined in her midnight hair. Hinata tightened her embrace, relieved to have him back in her arms, whole and safe.

She loved him so much, in such a quantity that words failed to encompass. She loved his passion, his inner fire, his stubbornness, his strength, his loyalty, his outrageous courage, his faith in the future, his spiky blond hair, his dazzling blue eyes, the whisker marks on his cheeks, the way he looked at her with such a deep adoration that it made her shiver in delight, the way he was smart and funny and kind without realizing it, the way he spoke about things so plainly, the way he strove to make his own destiny, the way he cherished and nurtured not only his dreams, but the dreams of those he cared for. The way his face lit up like the sun when he smiled at her. The way his callused hands were heartbreakingly tender when he touched her skin. The way her father's silent disapproval and Neji's intimidating guardianship didn't discourage him an iota. The way he always thought of her as Hinata, not the heiress of the Hyuuga clan. Even the way his demon chakra seemed to calm under her influence.

"I couldn't wait until morning," she murmured against his chest. "I've been watching for you since sundown."

Naruto rubbed her back comfortingly. "Your Byakugan?"

Hinata nodded. "I can always tell your chakra apart from everyone else's."

Naruto inhaled deeply, refamiliarizing himself with the lavender scent of her hair. "I'm glad you cam." She held him closer, sensing the conflict he felt about his mission. "It's just…unbelievable that a Leaf ninja could turn into something like that. It was like fighting another Zabuza, only this one was worse because he didn't even have Haku to care about."

Hinata tugged away gently and, taking his hand, led him over to the knee-high wall surrounding the roof. They sat down together, leaning against the summer-warmed stone, their bodies overlapping to save off as many dark thoughts as possible.

"Naruto?" Hinata asked. "I…I don't need the Byakugan to see that something more is bothering you."

He hesitated, uncharacteristically thinking before he spoke. "That's who Sasuke would've bee, if he hadn't still cared about some of the people here. Sakura, Kakashi, me…if he hadn't still cared about what happened to us—" Hinata silenced him with a kiss.

"He did have all of you, and he did come back," she said firmly, the days of her stuttering far behind her. "You of all people know that every ninja needs a reason to fight—for Sasuke, his need for revenge wasn't strong enough to defeat his need to keep his loved ones alive. I became a ninja to prove myself to my clan; now, I'm still a ninja, but I fight for my friends, because I don't want to let them down. Sasuke fights now to protect the people he cares for, especially Sakura. You don't have to worry about him."

Naruto stared at her, his face grave and intense, his electric blue eyes smoldering. "My reason for fighting is you—I love you, Hinata."

Hinata's lavender eyes widened as tingling elation filled her from top to toe. They reached for each other at the same time, their lips crushing together while molten fire bloomed at Hinata's core, flowing through her body and burning wherever it touched Naruto's. She gasped for air as Naruto buried his face against her neck, trailing his open mouth along the graceful arch of her throat. She knotted her hands in his hair, arching against him in her need to be closer, always closer. His hands roamed seductively over her body, lingering on the valley of her waist and the curves of her hips and breasts; she, in turn, let her free hand float over the hard planes of his shoulders, chest, and stomach, tracing every scar and crease in his skin as she went. They continued like this for a while, breath and bodies mingling beautifully in the glow of the full moon, though never going so far as to remove each other's clothes: not even Naruto would court the kind of death that Neji or Hiashi Hyuuga would administer if the blond ninja made love to Hinata on a rooftop in the middle of the Leaf Village.

The two lovers eventually fell asleep there, arms wrapped tightly around each other. When dawn came, the early morning sun shone down upon the girl with midnight hair and moonlight eyes, held protectively and lovingly against the young man with hair like sunshine and eyes bluer than a clear summer sky.

AN: Okay, now I know that one merited some reviews! I don't care if you agree or not, just push the button directly under this little tirade. Go on, everyone else is doing it.