Enchanted

"Families are like fudge - mostly sweet with a few nuts."
~Author Unknown

Chapter 2- Friendly, Scary Touch

The next day, Naruto was assigned another D-rank mission. Tsunade made it a goal of hers to have him perform as much C and D-rank missions as possible before he could become Hokage. That meant an entire year of chasing animals, digging through rice fields, delivering scrolls and escorting a bunch of ungrateful old fart Franks and Gertrudes wherever they demanded to be escorted. Those missions could possibly kill him but he was almost certain that the butt-faced Hyuugas would get to him first, Hiashi in particular. The signs that the Hyuugas wanted him dead became clearer to him the day after his encounter with their heiress.

It was the average bright and sunny Konoha day and Naruto was busy carrying out another D-rank mission. He was madly chasing after dogs, making leaps and lunges to grab the damned things but those actions only resulted in him falling in all kinds of gross liquids. First it was mud, second it was a kid's vomit and third it was pee. When he finally caught the demon dogs, he grudgingly returned them to their owner but how could he leave without the gift of pleasant scratches, scrapes and flat out gnaws to his skin?

After callously giving a snickering Tsunade his mission report, he headed straight towards the hospital where his doctor, Sakura, would hopefully tend to some of the deep wounds he got. No such luck. The pink haired medic-nin wasn't in today because she was sick. Naruto wasn't a complete buffoon. He knew the story Sakura told the receptionist was a complete lie because of two reasons. One, Sakura was a perfectionist. She'd never allow herself to get sick. Two, Sasuke came back from his mission yesterday… That was self-explanatory.

The positive and negative side to his resulting predicament was that he received the very heiress he came into contact with yesterday as his doctor.

As he watched her move daintily in her white lab coat and matching pants, he noticed something very, very different about this Hinata and the two he knew before. He met the first Hinata when they were children. She was incredibly shy, always sick with some blushing disease –well around him she was- and could only last three seconds in a conversation with him before fainting, something she did a whole lot. The second Hinata he knew was her 16 year old self. That Hinata was still shy but it was obvious that she had gained some confidence. She still blushed a lot but not as much as before and she could last a full 7 seconds before fainting, something that occurred a lot less frequently than before. That Hinata was also the one who had saved him from being kidnapped from Pain. He owed that Hinata a lot for that one.

This Hinata wasn't very shy. She didn't stutter when speaking to him nor did she divert her gaze to the floor. She kept eye-contact and didn't seem troubled by it. This Hinata didn't blush as often but when she did blush, it was only an extremely faint pink rather than the usual deep red shades. This Hinata had engaged in conversation with him for a full 10 minutes so far and she hadn't fainted once!

He didn't know why, but a part of him longed desperately for the shy and blushing Hinata he used to know. Seeing her as a confident young woman was nice but her shy persona was… cute…

"That must've been horrible!" Hinata exclaimed, sympathizing with him as a small smile played on her lips.

"I know! Those demon-dogs were so… so…"

"Troublesome?"

"Dattebayo, Hina-chan!" Naruto exclaimed.

Hinata tilted her head to the side. "Hina-chan?"

Naruto blushed a bit. "It's like a nickname. Like… I call Sasuke, Sasuke-teme and call Kiba 'dog breath'!" He scratched his head. "Hm. I never, ever call Choji fa-"

Hinata quickly clipped Naruto's lips together. "Naruto-san, Choji is in the hospital today. He hears everything. That word is taboo." Naruto's face paled. After a minute, Hinata smiled. "I like my nickname, though."

Naruto blushed.

Hinata sat next to him on the white bed and uncapped a circular container. She dug out a clump of her special renovated Hyuuga healing balm and smeared the lavender substance to Naruto's tan skin. She covered his scratched cheeks, forehead, chin, neck and arms with the cream.

"W-Will it hurt?" Naruto stuttered out, his sapphire blue eyes displaying hints of worry. He was always terrified of the odd medical things used on him as a kid. Now that he was older and 1% wiser, he was only mildly terrified of them.

Hinata gave him a reassuring smile and whispered, "It's going to sting just a little bit… but you're a big boy and I'm sure you can handle it!" She gently stroked the cream over his cuts.

Naruto winced in pain and squeezed the nearest thing he could find, which just happened to be Hinata's free hand. It was soft and smooth. It felt gentle and delicate. Naruto's cheeks tinted a light pink but Hinata didn't seem to be flustered at all. Instead she gave a content smile and continued spreading cream over his wounds. The sting only lasted a few seconds but he still squeezed her hand. It made him feel warm. Her fingers against his skin felt nice. He liked it. He liked it a lot.

As soon as she finished applying the cream, she looked into Naruto's blue eyes and smiled. "You can let go of my hand now. I don't think it should hurt anymore."

Naruto blushed in embarrassment and reluctantly pulled his hand away.

"Just stay as still as possible for a minute and your skin will be back to normal," Hinata ordered as she packed up the ointment and took it back to its shelf.

Naruto watched as his cuts began to heal. It felt like little soothing tickles whenever one closed up. His eyes traveled back to Hinata's form as she moved over to her table, packing her things up neatly.

"Hey, Hina-chan, when will you be finished with work?"

"Oh. I usually get off at 6 but since you came…" She checked her golden watch. "I should be finished by 6:15."

"I'm sorry."

Hinata flashed Naruto a bright smile. "No need to apologize. I enjoy helping people!"

Naruto grinned.

"Now, it's time to get that cream off you," the heiress murmured, snatching a Kleenex from what Naruto usually referred to as a never ending magic tissue box.

She gently wiped the cream off the covered spots, revealing healthy skin.

She threw the tissue into the nearby trashcan and grabbed her handbag from the table.

Naruto jumped to his feet and stretched, observing Hinata's soft, swift movements. She was like a little pixie, floating to and fro.

She finally settled at the door and turned off the lights. She allowed him to leave first but he calmly waited for her in the hall as she locked the door.

Hinata was startled a bit after seeing Naruto waiting for her. "Is there something wrong, Naruto-san?"

'Naruto-san' Naruto thought distastefully. It made him seem old. He preferred it with the 'kun'. But he wasn't about to tell her that. She'd think it was weird. "I was just wondering if you'd like me to walk you home. It's kind of getting dark outside…"

Hinata smiled as the two walked down the hall together, "It's ok, Naruto-san. I don't mind."

"But, I insist! What kind of guy would I be if I didn't walk the lady who just saved my skin home?"

Hinata laughed. "I guess."

The duo walked by the reception counter where the lady gave the pair a questioning glance. It went unseen by them as they exited through the hospital glass doors.

The evening was cool. The wind blew through their hair as they walked in the direction of the Hyuuga compound. The village was full of life, as usual. Kids were still playing in the evening sun and their parents were still trying to calm their little munchkins down. Some shops had closed but the majority was still open.

"Hey, Hinata," Naruto called. "Would you like to go get some ramen?"

"No, thanks, Naruto-san," Hinata declined. "I don't think my father would like that."

"What! You're dad doesn't approve of ramen?"

Hinata laughed. "I doubt he's a fan of ramen…He's more traditional… So we have family dinners every night."

"He's a weird man… I don't think he's lived…"

Hinata giggled.

The rest of the walk was spent in comfortable silence as they approached the gates of the Hyuuga compound.

"Thanks for walking me home, Naruto-san," Hinata said earnestly. "It was fun having your company. Have a good night!" Hinata waved goodbye to the smiling Naruto and entered her home.

Naruto's smile widened. He didn't know why Hinata's simple words made him feel mushy inside. He liked it. Maybe he should plan to see her again tomorrow…

Naruto turned around to leave but he ran into something big and muscular. "I'm sure there wasn't a pole he-" Naruto fell on his bottom and backed away in fear when he saw the Hyuuga head in the flesh using the 'Yamato face' again. He was still holding on to that sword, that awfully big and pointy sword.

Hiashi walked by the blond, making sure to bring attention the sword he carried. "Be careful, Uzumaki," the Hyuuga whispered.

Naruto shivered. The man had to be out to get him. He was a madman after all! He didn't like ramen!

Naruto rose to his feet and was about to run for his dear life when a sword nearly chopped his head off. The blade luckily rammed itself into the wall behind him. Leaning against the wall in front of him was the Hyuuga demon herself, Hanabi.

The brunette crossed her arms and grimaced. "Stay. Away. Uzumaki." She disappeared into the complex, behind her father.

By now, Naruto was running and running, hoping to get away from the crazy clan. They were all nuts! Nuts! The only thing missing was a surprise visit from Neji!

Lurking in the shadows, a byakugan-activated Neji frowned. He didn't get his turn…