Disclaimer: Don't own any characters from Naruto, I only own the characters I create. Like Inari, Miyuki, the bad guys, etc. Oh, and the plot, that's all me.

Note: The timeline of this story changes from around the start of the Chuunin Exams in the manga. I'll explain what parts changed in their due time. For now, Naruto is 14 and has just started on his long journey with Jiraiya.

Ah I'm such a goof, re-reading my previous chapters and finding myself enjoying the fluffy parts *blushes*

Eh heh, oh well, it's good to know I can enjoy it too. Even inspired me to write an extra scene.

Enjoy the chapter!

I'm working hard on making the chapters longer, I really am. Sorry.

Chapter 10

A Couple Of…

It was around lunchtime when a woman walked to the front of her stall and called out to the passers-by.

"Lunch special for the next ten customers! Hurry while it lasts!"

Seconds later a different shopkeeper called out from their stand.

"Our produce is fresh, please come by, you won't get a better deal elsewhere!"

"I'll let my products speak for themselves. Free samples, come judge for yourself."

"Ten percent discount on all pork products!"

The two teens wandered the stalls, hearing the loud shouts of the various shop owners. Each one appeared to have their own technique to lure customers in. Some seemed to work, others didn't.

Hinata tried her best not to feel guilty as she passed each merchant. She bit her lip, wondering if she should purchase something, but from who?

Naruto's attention was only on the food stalls. His eyes scanned all around, trying to decide what to eat.

"My what a lovely young couple, how about you two come eat at our restaurant?"

The young pair stopped in their tracks and turned to the lady to their right. She wore a cheerful expression as she handed them a piece of paper.

"My husband and I just opened a restaurant and are having a discount for couples. I do hope you two can come visit us." the woman smiled once more before spotting another potential pair of customers.

Hinata stood there in shock, the piece of paper hiding the blush on her face.

"Hey Hinata, what's the paper say?" the blond wore a curious face, pondering his friend's odd behavior.

The heiress quickly turned the paper over so her crush could see. Naruto didn't seem to notice that the paper was still covering her face as he read the flyer.

"Grand opening! Special offer to all couples for the opening week. Two for the price of one!"

Naruto's eyes danced with glee. "Hey Hinata, let's eat here!"

"Eh?" Hinata brought her hands down so the paper no longer shielded her face. To her surprise she was met with a shiny blue pair of eyes. The heiress immediately froze as she noticed their very close proximity.

"Hinata? Are you ok?"

The Hyuuga teen tried to calm her racing heartbeat and cool down her burning hot cheeks. It took a minute and a deep breath until she was able to finally form a response.

"I-I'm fine. I-I'm sorry for spacing out." she looked down in embarrassment. It seemed their time apart had torn down the tiny bit of resistance she had gotten from the constant exposure to her crush.

"It's ok," the blond grinned, "So what do you think? Wanna go eat at the lady's restaurant?"

Hinata blushed, "Um, but," she looked down at the restaurant flyer, "Isn't the special for couples only?"

"Well, we count as a couple right?"

"Ehh?" her face brightly lit up.

"Yeah, there's two of us so that counts as a couple right? As long as it's two people I'm sure we get the discount." the boy innocently spoke.

"Um," she paused to take another breath and rid herself of her blush, "I-I think they mean-"

"It'll be fine, let's go Hinata!" The blond wasted no time in grabbing the girl's arm and pulling her away.

It wasn't long though, before the two stopped in their tracks.

"N-naruto?"

With an embarrassed grin he looked back at his friend, "Say Hinata, does the paper say where the restaurant is?"

"Hey Shino, now that we've eaten should we go look for Hinata and Naruto?" the brown haired Inuzuka teen asked, patting his satisfied belly.

The Aburame adjusted his glasses, "I suppose we could, however, we would need to head back as they left in the opposite direction."

Kiba stopped in mid step and looked behind them. Without uttering a word he started heading in the right direction. Shino didn't say a thing, but having enhanced hearing, Kiba could have sworn he heard something.

The two teammates walked a good distance until a female voice called out to them.

A figure with long black hair approached them. She eyed them for a second before placing a hand on her hip, "So, where's Hinata and Naruto?"

"Ah, well you see Kurenai sensei, it's kind of a long story."

After explaining the events that had occurred the red-eyed woman sighed, "Poor Hinata, I say the sooner we get out of here the better."

"She might not agree sensei," Kiba sported a knowing grin.

Once more the woman let out a sigh, "Yes, but in any case we'll be leaving tonight. So let's go look for the pair and start packing our things."

Her two students nodded in agreement.

"Ok, Akamaru you-" the Inuzuka teen looked down and found his companion was gone from his side. He looked around and sure enough neither Akamaru or Miyuki were in the area.

"Damn it, where could those two have gone?"

"Go look for them Kiba. Shino and I will head back to the inn in case Hinata and Naruto have made it back there. As soon as you find Akamaru and Miyuki meet back with us. If Hinata and Naruto are still not found we'll head out together to find them. Understood?"

"Yes sensei."

A small black-haired pup roamed the busy streets, careful not to get stepped on by the bustling people. Her mind was on a single task and was determined to see it through. The pup kept her head down, doing her best to ignore any distractions. Whether it be children wanting to play with her or shop owners offering her bits of meat, she kept on her task.

A white-haired pup trailed a bit behind her. Onlookers watched with amused expressions. Some thought the white-haired pup was being lead around by the black-haired pup. Others thought the white-haired one happened to see the black-haired one and had curiously followed behind.

Neither pup paid their surroundings much attention, even as the whispers started getting louder.

"Do you think they have owners?"

"I'd love to take one of them home with me."

"Mommy can I play with the puppies?"

"Cute little dogs, I wanna pet them!"

The white-haired pup sat down, after noticing the black-haired pup stop as well. He let out a whine and barked a few times. As a response the black-haired pup looked down and whined. It seemed her stamina was still lacking, something the white-haired pup was planning on correcting.

After a few seconds of rest the white-haired pup was quick to bark an order to the black-haired pup. She huffed a bit but soon enough she was back on her task. With her nose on the ground she tried once again to pick of the pair's trail.

This task was simple enough at the beginning but their latest area seemed to be filled with even more scents. Each scent seemed to be mixing together, making it hard to distinguish any of them. The pup whined as she scanned the tall looking things where delicious smells seemed to be hiding.

With a quick shake of her head she resisted the savory aroma and tried once more to find the right scent.

Though small and cute in appearance the black-haired seemed to sport a serious expression.

Time passed and the crowds seemed to disperse as lunchtime neared its end.

Akamaru paced about, trying to keep his mind on the task. But the two had been at this for quite some time now and he was starting to get hungry.

Of course his pupil was improving but at the moment his stomach was in control and all he wanted was to run off and get some food. Just as he was about to run off Miyuki barked excitedly. The white-haired pup turned in annoyance but became more alert after seeing Miyuki run off.

Akamaru barked and followed behind. Indeed, his student was learning quickly.

Kiba maneuvered his way through the shops and people as he followed Akamaru's scent. The trail was easy to follow; seemed the pups weren't in any hurry to wherever they were headed. However, after a distance their scent seemed to be thinner, signifying their quickened pace.

The traffic slowed him down a bit but it wasn't very long before he was able to spot the two pups.

The two seemed to be pacing around a building, well Akamaru was pacing, Miyuki just seemed to be resting.

Kiba grinned, years with his partner made it easy to read his behavior. He approached the two, the grin still on his face, "You know Akamaru, if you were hungry all you had to do was tell me."

The white-haired pup growled, turning his head to the restaurant doors. Both pups had tried to enter the establishment only to be shooed away by the hostess.

Kiba laughed, he glanced around, noticing that only couples seemed to be entering the restaurant. Miyuki's barked quickly caught his attention.

The black-haired pup seemed very happy, bouncing about as she barked.

"You passed huh? That's great girl," he bent down to pat the small pup on the head. "Although you sure picked a fine time to give her the test boy." Akamaru barked at the Inuzuka teen, the two shared a look.

Miyuki turned her attention elsewhere as the two males continued their playful bickering. She quite enjoyed watching all the different people walking around the area. The two figures that she spotted next were, surprisingly, ones Miyuki actually knew.

However, considering their position, the three were not in the couple's line of sight. The pair was by the front door of the restaurant. Miyuki and the others were situated in the alleyway next to the restaurant. It was the only safe place to be to avoid getting spotted by the hostess, yet still have a clear sight of the restaurant doors.

The black-haired pup wagged her tail happily and was about to run after them when she remembered her two companions. She turned to see the two males still fighting. A quick glance back and she noticed the pair seemed to be caught up in their own conversation. So the pup whined and dropped to the ground, waiting to see which two would be done first.

After what seemed like hours the pair Miyuki had spotted outside the restaurant finally made their move. With a whine she ran over and pulled on the teen Inuzuka's jacket.

Kiba ceased his bickering to look down at the black-haired pup tugging on him. "Miyuki, what's wrong?" The pup barked and signaled to the Inuzuka male. "Huh, where?" He turned and looked around confused, "All I see is a bunch of couples. Are you sure it was-" he stopped mid-sentence and looked ahead with wide eyes. Two figures he had mistaken for a couple were none other than Hinata and Naruto.

The two teens were a small distance ahead and seemed to be heading in the direction of their inn.

What took the Inuzuka male by surprise though, was the placement of the two genin's hands.

Holding hands. The two were holding hands!?

Of course this had occurred once or twice back in Konoha. Kiba had noticed that Naruto had a habit of grabbing Hinata by the hand and leading her away. But that scene usually played out with Naruto running as he pulled the girl along with him. The scene currently taking place before him was a bit different.

The blond teen was walking alongside Hinata, their hands held between them. He sported a warm smile as he lead the blushing heiress through the streets. If anything it looked like a couple taking a walk after a lunch date.

Kiba shook his head in disbelief. This was Naruto he was talking about. There was no way the idiot had found out about Hinata's feelings. No way.

Still, the scene before was a little hard to dispute.

"Just what happened between those two while they were alone?" the brown-haired male asked out loud to no one in particular. Akamaru tilted his head in confusion while Miyuki wagged her tail in happiness. She didn't think the sight of them holding hands was anything strange. The two teens had held hands before. In fact, they often times held her owner, Inari, by the hand.

The black-haired pup did wonder why they were just standing there watching the pair leave. Hadn't she been assigned to track them down? Weren't they supposed to go back together? She glanced at the two males, still standing there with questioning looks.

With a whine she laid down and waited for the two to snap out of their weird daze. After the last hour or so she sure could use a break.

Dark eyes scanned the street, face set in a scowl. Had he been seeing things? But, he was so sure. Then again he had only caught a glimpse. Of both of them actually, and now they were nowhere to be seen.

He shook his head, why did he even still care? With a wave of his hand he called forth a young beauty. She had flowing brown hair and rosy lips, just his type. As he lead the girl away he could feel the curiosity gnawing the back of his head.

"Damnit," he cursed below his breath. With his famous fake smile he apologized to the young beauty and made his way back to where he had spotted them.

He had to confirm whether it was them or not, even if he had to scour every street in the vicinity. His pride couldn't let this go. One way or another he had to make things right. To him there was no such thing as "the one that got away," not if he had anything to say about it.

How hard could this be anyway? If you compared the two he was clearly better in every aspect. If he could make her see that then she'd come to her senses. It was simple and perfect.

With a sly grin he started to pick up the pace. He was really motivated now.

Whoo, ten chapters into the story!

Had originally come up with only one new scene but while trying to set it up I came up with a lot more things to add in. I wanted to have all this be one big chapter but there's still a few more scenes to write so I'm splitting it into two chapters. That way I won't make you all wait any longer than I already have.

Hopefully next chapter turns out to be a cute fluff piece, without seeming OOC.

On another note SUPER EXCITED about going to go see Naruto the Last this weekend.

I've been trying to avoid any spoilers so I can fully enjoy the movie and not be waiting for a certain scene to show up.

Unfortunately I have come across a few screenshots and comments from people who've already seen it. That bummed me out a bit but I'm still excited to go see the movie. Hope those who want to go see it get the chance to do so.

And with that I'll see you next chapter.