So in TPWW, I mentioned briefly that on Naruto and Hinata's second date, our dear knuckle-head was just a little anxious. Kind of a total nervous wreck. Dear jojo07 asked to see this, so I started writing. It is short, I'll admit. Disgustingly short, honestly. But I cannot for the life of me make it any longer and in lieu of our favorite couple finally becoming cannon I wanted to post something! Also, it seems that every single NaruHina author is just waiting for The Last to come out before they write anything and I am suffering withdrawals.

Anon reviews!

Guest#1: First of all, and this goes for everyone else, never let language stop you from reviewing! Even if you do so in your native language, I will copy and paste that crap into google translate so fast! Please, always, always, always, tell me everything you are thinking! That being said, your English was just fine! I understood you perfectly. I will give you as much NH as you are willing to review!

hiNaru Aburame: This is a perfect example of a review I dumped right into google translate! Thank you so much! I'm glad to hear the emotions came across right! Especially the emphasis of Naruto being an overly affectionate person because of his past. Thank you so much for your wonderful review!

Guest#2: Thank you so much! I try to keep my stories as real as I can and I'm glad to hear it is coming across right. As for the canon ending, I LOVED IT! And not just because of my ship. People keep saying that they don't see how it ended up like it did but I honestly don't know what they are talking about. There was a huge time skip and it was wrapping up so many loose ends that we didn't get very long glances of anything to really see if it was sudden. We all knew Naruto was going to be Hokage and that is all that really matters. What exactly is so sudden about the ending? I don't understand people. I loved it. That's all. :)

So, jojo07, I present to you, your chapter. I hope you enjoy it!

XXX

Hinata's shoes slapped against the pavement as she ran along the river. She had shadowed her father for a meeting with the Elders that had run longer than she'd expected and she didn't want to be late. As she rounded the bend she saw him standing on the bridge, leaning against the railing as he watched the river rush past. When the sound of her rushed footsteps reached him he looked up over his shoulder, smiling as he turned to face her. She slowed when she reached the end of the bridge and tried to look graceful as she crossed to meet him.

She had only seen him a handful of times in the three weeks since their first date. Both were busy as active ANBU and their schedules had clashed, allowing the new couple very little time together. Naruto had finally managed to weasel an extra day off out of Tsunade that coincided with Hinata's day off and he had wasted no time in asking her to spend it with him. She had jumped at the chance and couldn't believe she had allowed herself to risk being late because of a council meeting. His bright smile made it all worth it, though.

"Wow, Hinata. You look… incredible," Naruto told her, a hint of awe in his voice. She blushed and dropped her eyes to her slippers, a small pleased smile gracing her lips. Her hands nervously brushed her skirt as she peeked up at him through her lashes.

"Thank you, Naruto." She was pleased he had noticed. She had put a lot of effort into dressing up for their second official date and she was glad to know he appreciated it. She tried not to fidget under his watch as he stared at her for a moment longer, almost like he was just drinking her in, before he shook his head and caught her hand, tugging her off the bridge and into the trees.

"Where are we going, Naruto?" Hinata asked curiously. The only clue he had given her was that they were going to have lunch together, but he was walking in the opposite direction of the food district. She felt him tense beside her for a moment, his hand twitching in hers, before he relaxed again.

"Uh, well, I set up a picnic for us out by the waterfall," he answered bashfully, his free hand impulsively rubbing the back of his head as he peeked at her out of the corner of his eye. "Is…Is that ok?"

Hinata smiled brightly and nodded, squeezing his fingers to reassure him. "It sounds wonderful, Naruto." He relaxed a little but she could tell he was still nervous about something. What had gotten in to him? He hadn't been even a little nervous when he had taken her to Ichiraku's, so what had changed?

As she puzzled over Naruto's strange behavior, he tugged her through the trees, walking at a fast, slightly anxious pace. He would look back at her every so often, nervously, see her watching him and smile his big bright smile that meant he was trying to hide his true feelings, before he would turn back forward and pull her along a little faster. It wasn't a long walk and soon enough the trees broke to reveal the crystal blue waterfall sparkling in the early afternoon sun and a beautiful picnic, complete with basket, blanket, and even candles, set out on a blanket by the water. A picnic that was being ransacked by a flock of birds.

Bits of food had been dragged all over the clearing by greedy magpies trying to enjoy their spoils in private while the majority of the flock clucked and squabbled over what was on the blanket. It was a complete mess, with the blanket rumpled, the candles knocked over, and feathers strewn about.

"Hey! Get away from there! That's ours!" Naruto dropped Hinata's hand and sprinted to the blanket, waving his arms wildly to shoo away the birds that were picking at the fruit he had left out. With indignant squawks, the birds fled to the air in a flurry as Naruto angrily chased them away, getting into a fight with a particularly stubborn bird. It squawked at him indignantly as it took to the air, diving at his head to peck at his hair. Naruto swung his fists at it, yelling, but the bird swooped out of harm's way, diving to snatch up a final strawberry before disappearing into the trees. "And stay away!" Naruto yelled after the bird, his face red with anger and his breathing labored from their epic confrontation. Hinata tried to hide her laugh from his silly antics behind her hand, but Naruto saw it and flushed.

"Sorry," he said, averting his eyes and rubbing the back of his head again as Hinata walked to him. "I thought it would be nice if everything was set up when you got here. I guess I should have left a clone. I didn't think about birds stealing our food."

"It's ok, Naruto." She smiled at him and gave him a small hug, which seemed to ease his nerves a little.

"Really?" he asked hopefully, a small bashful smile stretching his lips as his arms circled her waist. She laughed and nodded and his small bashful smile grew into a real one, the real one she loved, and he hugged her tightly. "You're the best, Hinata!"

He smiled at her for a moment longer before seemingly realizing he was staring. His nervousness seemed to return like a switch flipping and he awkwardly gestured to the blanket at their feet. "Shall we?"

Hinata smiled and took a seat before waiting patiently for Naruto to settle in. He cleared away the half picked food the birds had gotten before digging inside the big picnic basket. Fortunately he hadn't set everything out and there were still two bento boxes which he offered to Hinata. She accepted one and the two dug into their lunch.

"Did you make this, Naruto?" she asked after a few bites and he looked up at her like a deer caught in headlights.

"Uh, yeah. Is it ok? I probably should have asked what you like. I'm sorry! I didn't think about it. I don't even know what your favorite food is, I'm such an idiot-"

"Naruto!" Hinata's interruption stopped his words cold and he looked at her worriedly. She smiled, hoping to help him relax and held up her bento. "It's delicious," she assured him. "I was just curious if you had made it." The tension in his shoulders drained away and he looked relieved as he smiled back at her before bashfully returning to his food.

"Do you like to cook?" she asked after a short pause. It seemed Naruto wasn't much for conversation today but she didn't want to spend all of her time with him in silence. She liked listening to his voice.

Naruto nodded and tried to swallow his entire mouthful without chewing properly in his haste to answer her. Inevitably he choked and sputtered and Hinata quickly handed him a bottle of water, which he guzzled. When his breath had returned he apologized.

"Sorry, Hinata-"

"It's fine. It was my fault anyway," she admitted, shrugging. "I shouldn't have asked you a question right when you took a bite." Another awkward lull stretched between them and Naruto fidgeted anxiously, poking at his food with his chopsticks, lifting it and letting it drop over and over again. His anxiety was practically rolling off of him in waves and Hinata couldn't stand it anymore. She needed to know what was wrong so she could make him relax!

"Naruto? Is…everything okay?" she asked tentatively.

"What?" he squawked, his food slipping from his chopsticks. "Yeah, everything's great, why wouldn't everything be okay, I'm great, you're great, unless you're not and you don't really want to be here which I would totally understand-"

"Naruto!" Hinata interrupted, caught off guard by his frantic jumbled words. His mouth clapped shut at her interruption and he watched her with a strange look on his face. After a moment, Hinata realized it was dread. He was afraid she was upset with him about something. She hadn't seen that look on his face in a very long time and she wondered what on earth had happened to make her the cause of it. "Naruto, what has gotten into you? Why are you so nervous?"

"Wha- I'm not nervous, I'm fine, I-" he began, still in that mad jumbled rush of words from before, but Hinata gave him a look she hoped meant you can tell me anything, reaching over and taking his hand in hers, and he stopped. He stared at her for a moment before looking away. "I just wanted everything to go perfectly today. But it's been one disaster after another. I'm really sorry, Hinata! I tried really hard to make everything perfect but I'm still just an idiot. I'll take you home now, if you want."

"Why would I want to go home?" Naruto's eyes shot up to her, surprised, and his mouth was hanging open comically. Hinata laughed again and boldly reached over, putting her fingers under his chin, and closed his mouth. "I'm having a wonderful time! I just wish you weren't so anxious. What's wrong?"

Again, Naruto's eyes fell from hers and he played with the blanket they sat on. "It's just something Sakura and Ino said," he admitted, dodging her question.

Sakura and Ino? What did they have to do with anything? She must have made a face because when Naruto peeked up at her he began to explain without prompting.

"They heard that I took you to Ichiraku for our first date and told me how dumb it was. And they were right! You deserve more than Ichiraku, so I spent three weeks planning today I wanted everything to be perfect, but I just screwed everything up." His shoulders dropped and he kept his face down so Hinata couldn't see his expression, which irked her. She wanted that smile back.

"I liked our first date." At her words, Naruto peeked up at her through his bangs, a small hopeful light beginning to grow in those blue pools. "I did! And I've really enjoyed today. I don't really mind where we go or what we do. I just like spending time with you."

"Really?" he asked shyly and Hinata nodded, taking one of his hands and twisting their fingers together.

"Really! I've been waiting three weeks for this date!" she told him, teasing lightly. "What on earth did Sakura and Ino say that would make you think otherwise?" She was honestly curious. Naruto was almost never self-conscious and she wondered what he had been told that would make him so nervous.

"They told me Ichiraku's was a lame first date. You're an heiress, you don't want to go to some crummy ramen stand." Privately, Hinata wondered what Teuchi would think of his best customer calling his establishment a 'crummy ramen stand'. "They said you liked romantic things and that if I didn't want some other guy stepping in and taking you away I had to do better than that. So I thought really hard and tried to be really romantic and I planned this picnic but the only thing that's gone right is that you're here and you look really pretty." Hinata blushed at his praise but didn't look away.

"Don't listen to them, Naruto. I fell in love with you just the way you are, Ichiraku and all. I don't need fancy romantic picnics or big displays of affection. I already love you. I just want to spend time with you."

That smile was back now as Naruto positively beamed at her. "No one's ever said something like that to me," he confided softly, still smiling at her. "When we were little, everyone just wanted me to go away. It wasn't until I started trying to be funny or pull pranks that people wanted me around, but even then, I just got in more trouble." Naruto looked Hinata right in the eye and smiled, gently taking her hand in his, playing with her fingers absently. "You're the first person that's ever wanted to be around me just 'cause I'm me."

"I want to be around you because you are a wonderful person, Naruto. And you should never try to change that, even if Ino or Sakura tell you differently. Especially not for me. In case you haven't noticed, I don't exactly like the same things Ino and Sakura do." Naruto laughed, the tension in his shoulders and face melting away as he laced his fingers through hers.

"They were right about something, though," he said, smiling that bright smile that reminded her of the sun. "You do have good taste. You like me." She laughed at his cocky joke and he shifted to sit next to her, leaning into her shoulder. "Really, though. You make me want to be better, Hinata. You've changed me." The smile on his face told her there was more significance in that statement than she knew and she blushed.

"Not as much as you've changed me. You inspired me to become stronger, to do better, so that one day, I could be with you." She looked down to her lap, where their hands rested, laced together. "Like this."

He squeezed her fingers tenderly but when he spoke, there was a bit of humor in his voice. "How come you're allowed to change for me, but I shouldn't change for you? What if you inspire me to make myself better?"

Hinata considered his question for a moment. "I suppose it depends on why you're doing it. If you were only changing yourself so that I would like you, that would be wrong. That's not what I did." She paused for a moment, not sure if Naruto really wanted to hear about her personal childhood struggles, but he nudged her shoulder with his, urging her to continue. "You inspired me to change," she began, choosing her words carefully. "I suppose you could say I did it for you, so that you would notice me, but that wasn't really it. I wanted to make myself stronger, become something my clan could be proud of, a person I could be proud of. I wanted to become an asset to my team and the village. I wanted to be a person you would be proud to call a comrade. Someone that could stand beside you, instead of needing to be protected.

"I just didn't know how to do that until you showed me." Naruto frowned at her, not understanding and Hinata wrinkled her nose, tying to think of the best way to explain. "You showed me that no matter what anyone else said, if I worked hard enough, I could become what I wanted to be. You seeing me, hopefully in a romantic light, was only a wishful possibility. I changed because I was not happy with myself, and I wanted to be stronger. I wanted to be able to stand beside you without feeling ashamed.

"Does that make any kind of sense to you?"

XXX

So there it is. What do you think, aside from the length? I honestly tried to make it longer guys, I really did. I have been wrestling with this one for weeks! Nothing was coming until I stumbled upon someone asking for a Hinata story where she develops for herself rather than for Naruto and it bothered me. I don't think Hinata ever developed simply so Naruto would notice her. She isn't that shallow. So this is my response to that.

Let me know what you think. I live for reviews, guys! The longer the better. I don't even care if it's just you ranting, give it all to me!

Also, prompts! Please! I have some serious writers block going right now and I need help getting over it. Give me prompts! You can leave them in a review, or a PM. I'll be honest, PM is probably better because you wonderful people send me so many reviews, they may get lost that way. Or if you're feeling really ambisous, do both! Also, I have recently acquired a tumblr and have absolutely no idea what I'm doing with it! Please, someone teach me! I'm tenney-shoes, so please, HELP!

Happy reading! Tenneyshoes