A/N: Well at long last I have somehow found the time to finish writing this chapter. I am not going to go into the long details of the last four weeks, but it truly is a miracle that I even got this chapter out in February.
Even with all of the real life distractions this was fun chapter to read, edit and read again. So enjoy and savor this chapter till we meet again sometime in March.
Standard disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.
It is morning and the Leaf Village is starting to come alive with the sounds of people walking about on their usual daily business, with one exception. This morning Hyuga Hinata is standing outside the apartment of Uzumaki Naruto clutching fretfully at the bag she is carrying. She holds up one hand to knock on the door, but hesitates when she remembers the special item that she is carrying in her pocket. Hinata reaches into her jacket and pulls out a key, holding it up by the orange toad on the keychain, and she smiles as the metallic objects catches and reflects tiny beams the morning sunlight coming down the hallway. As she watches the key swing back and forth Hinata tries to psyche herself up into taking a potentially big step in her life. 'You can do this Hinata.' Before she loses her nerve, Hinata quickly unlocks the door and holds her breath as the door slowly swings open. When no voice calls out a challenge she slowly walks into the apartment.
As she enters, the smell of his place brings a smile to her face. It smells of ramen, of course, but there is also the scent of freshly baked cinnamon pastries perfuming the air. 'He baked me another gift. I am not surprised, Naruto-kun promised that he would the next time he left for a mission.' She walks over and places her bag on the cleanest spot she can find as she examines the mess his baking has caused, again, and shakes her head. Hinata takes her mind off of other things that threaten to steal her confidence, and cause her to sneak back out of the apartment, by closing the open containers of flour and sugar to put them away in his cabinets.
She nearly drops the flour container on the floor when the door to Naruto's bathroom opens and the scent of soap floating on steam filled air creeps down the hall and into the small kitchen. 'He… he was… in the shower. I thought he was just still asleep. If I had gone back there first to wake him, I might have…' She puts down the container and covers her mouth to stifle her gasp of embarrassment as she looks towards the entrance of the kitchen not knowing if he might be coming her way. 'What I am I going to do if he comes in here, and he's… not wearing any…' She leans heavily onto the counter to steady herself.
Hinata holds her breath and listens as the sound of hair being rubbed dry drifts down the hallway, away from her, as Naruto walks towards his bedroom. She tiptoes over and glances shyly down the hallway towards his bedroom and the smell of 'him' assaults her senses. She closes her eyes and inhales slowly the wonderful scent of soap and freshly applied deodorant. Enticed by the aroma, she cannot help but creep closer to his bedroom to try and take a peek inside. As she leans her head, ever so slowly over, her body begins to tremble in rhythm with the butterflies now dancing inside her stomach.
Without realizing it, Hinata had closed her eyes just as the center of his room was coming into view. With a conscious effort, she opens one eye and sees Naruto standing there with his back to the door. Fortunately, maybe, he is wearing his pants, but no shirt. She stares at the lean back muscles that she has felt underneath his shirt when they have embraced. She blinks and shakes her head slightly to force herself to focus on what is in front of her, but that does not help her too much really.
Naruto turns to the right and walks over to his dresser, which gives an already trembling Hinata a profile view. Her eyes, now both wide open, slowly work their way down his shoulders and past the hard knot of his bicep till they drift over to his chest. Hinata grips the doorframe like a vise as she gets a look at his pectoral muscles when he leans down, at a slight angle, to pull out a shirt from the drawer. As he straightens back up she subconsciously counts the ribs and abdominal muscles of his lean, athletic form. Lately she has been wondering what those muscles looked like when they had just sat together cuddling, and could feel them underneath his clothes. Now here those muscles are, just a few feet away, and more amazing than any schoolgirl fantasy could ever carve.
Hinata's grip on the doorframe somehow tightens as a tiny frightened voice somewhere deep inside her heart begins to speak. 'Oh Kami, I thought I was ready… but I'm not ready… I'm not ready for this yet.' She places her head on the frame for support as she tries to mentally deal with this sudden realization. All those years of being told that her virtue is a precious gift and should only be given to her husband, or the shame that she would bring to her family would be unforgivable, come back and put doubt in her heart. Now the possibility of being… with… Naruto is so close it could happen if only she would step forward and offer herself. The realization of how close they are to that spectacularly frightening event is causing her to tremble in uncontrollable fear and uncertainty.
As she was falling asleep last night she had decided to come here and surprise him this morning before he left for his mission. As she had lain in bed this morning going over her plans, the bold voice in her head, which has become a much louder voice since her first date with Naruto, had spoken up. The voice had suggested that there might be a way to get him to finally say those three words that she has been waiting to hear for so long. That he might say them in a moment of passion, or afterwards as they lay together if they were to… if she was to let him…
Hinata's grip on the doorframe tightens painfully. 'No. I want to… be with him… because I love him.' She takes a quivering breath. 'I need Naruto, but I will not trap his love.' She slowly draws circles on the wooden doorframe as another thought crosses her mind. 'If he… if he were to ask to… you know… I could say… yes, and then maybe he would say that he…" She takes a sharp breath as one fact becomes clear in her mind. 'But I won't throw myself at him like one of those screeching fangirls. I am a Hyuga, we do have our pride and honor. I want his respect as much as I want his love. I will not act like a…' Her eyes suddenly come back into focus and standing there looking at her, in surprise, is Naruto.
It was a real shock to hear a scratching sound and turn to see Hinata lost in thought leaning up against the doorframe to his bedroom. He watches as her lips move slightly and her finger slowly traces circles nervously on the doorframe. When her beautiful face looks up he can see his own feelings reflected back at him in her eyes. She seems frightened of them being alone together in his room, but her eyes keep drifting down towards his exposed chest causing her to blush guiltily as thoughts, probably similar to the ones going through his own mind, are playing out in her mind.
The look in her eyes tells him everything, if he were to walk over and take her in his arms she would not resist anything he would ask. He can also see that like himself, she is afraid of this very thing happening, for different reasons most likely. That next step in a relationship is like a river, daunting but crossable, but one misstep and they could find themselves floundering and washed away downstream to unknown troubles. He can feel his own desires rise up as the thoughts of his hands gliding over her silken flesh takes hold in his mind. He clutches at the shirt in his hands to stop them from trembling. 'No, I am about to leave for a mission. I can't have our first time together be a quickie and then I run off. Hinata deserves more respect than to be treated in that way. She deserves more, of what I cannot find the right words, but my heart tells me that now is not the right time and I can see the same wants and fears in her eyes too.' With a heavy heart and an embarrassing ache in his loins Naruto slowly puts on his shirt and gives Hinata the gentlest smile he can muster. 'Besides, if I was to do it badly, it will be weeks before I will be back and I don't want her thinking all that time that I am lame in the bed, and stuff. I might just not come back out of pure shame if I thought that I had done it badly.'
With equal amounts of relief and disappointment Hinata watches as Naruto reluctantly puts on his shirt. She can tell that he understands her fears and in the most caring gesture that she can imagine he ignores his own obvious arousal and takes control of the situation. She is about to let her emotions take control and start crying in frustration when something unexpected catches her attention as he pulls on his shirt, and pushes aside for the moment the shame of her weakness. There on his left side, near his armpit, is a strange symbol. Her view is way too brief, and her attention a little too distracted by other things, to clearly make it out, but in many ways it almost looks like a seal. 'I have never seen anything like that before on Naruto-kun, or anywhere else for that matter. I wonder what it could be, maybe some sort of tattoo, I heard he went to some strange places when he left the village.' She has to divert her thoughts away from the subject of the mark as he steps up to her, his jacket now on and zipped up safely.
"Tenshi, I am so happy to see you this morning. I wasn't expecting to see you until I reached the main gate." He pulls an obviously startled Hinata into a warm embrace and allows himself to drink in all of the scents and warmth her presence generates. 'I am going to miss this so much while I am gone.'
Hinata rubs her cheek against his neck knowing that she is going to miss him so much while he is gone, and not for the first time wishing it was her team instead of Hanabi's going on the mission with Naruto. "Me too, I hope you don't mind, I brought some food and I thought we could have breakfast together before you have to meet the others at the gate. Don't worry, everything is already cooked, so I won't have to try and find anything clean to prepare the food with, Naruto-kun." Hinata sighs happily as she hears him chuckle and gives her a gentle hug at her little joke. She takes a deep breath to try and finish clearing her thoughts. "Go ahead and get the rest of your gear together, and by then I should have everything laid out." She needs to step away from his room and head to the kitchen quickly, because she is starting to second guess herself and her decision to wait.
Naruto steps back and just nods, because he cannot trust his voice to suddenly blurt out what his body still desires, and to ask her to give into what they both obviously want. After she goes down the hall he takes out some of his frustration by shoving his gear roughly into his pack, and using the mental list of things he needs to carry for a mission to focus his mind elsewhere. 'I don't know what is worse; the upcoming weeks of frustration I am about to endure for doing the right thing, or weeks of second guessing if we did the wrong thing by giving in to our… needs.' He takes a calming breath and puts a smile on his face. 'I might be frustrated and second guessing myself, but she does not need to see that and feel guilty.'
He goes into the kitchen and is quietly putting his pack beside the door when he catches sight of Hinata at the counter, her back to him, fixing two plates of food. The thought of someday being able to walk into this kitchen every morning, and seeing the sight of her making their breakfast makes him smile. It reminds him how full his previously lonely life has become ever since that fateful night when Hinata invited him to dinner. When he walks up behind Hinata, Naruto does what seems only natural, he wraps his arms tightly around her waist and presses his body tightly against Hinata's. "Good morning, tenshi." He lowers his head and places a gentle kiss on her neck just above the hitai-ate she is wearing.
Hinata cannot believe that she is actually experiencing one of her most frequent daydreams, for real. 'At last,' she thinks to herself as Naruto puts his arms around her and wishes her good morning while she is preparing their breakfast. The kiss upon her neck is the final piece to seal this moment forever in her memories. She moves her head to the side and exposes a little more of her neck in hopes that he will avail himself to the vulnerable flesh of her collar bone, just below her hitai-ate, which is exactly where he left his mark upon her the night of the New Year's festival.
He immediately presses his lips to the newly exposed flesh and allows a little of his unfulfilled lust a willing outlet. "I see you wasted no time using the key I gave you yesterday." His chuckle sends vibrations through his lips as he continues to place kisses on her tender flesh.
FLASHBACK
After a merry chase through the woods, Naruto has caught Hinata, and he now has her pinned to the ground. His body is straddling hers with his legs pinning her own struggling legs to the soft moss that she had finally collapsed onto. Naruto's hands are clasping her smaller hands, holding them firmly in place, while a pair of bright yellow arms made of chakra are dancing across her ribs. Hinata, tears running down her cheeks, is laughing harder than she can ever remember. "Stop, gasp… gasp, please stop. giggles I promise…"
Naruto pauses and stretches her hands straight above her head, which allows him to put his lips tantalizingly close to Hinata's. "You promise to what, tenshi?" As her lips purse in expectation of a kiss, he teases her instead by rubbing the tips of their noses together.
Hinata opens one eye and gives him a defiant smirk. "I promise to not make fun of your big head anymore." Her back arches and her hips buck as Naruto's tickling intensifies again. "Oh please gasp, no more giggle, I am going gasp, to pee on my… snort, myself… gasp, if you don't giggle, stop."
Naruto says nothing as he dismisses the chakra arms. Instead, he waits patiently for her gasping to begin to slow before kissing her now bright red lips. He lets go of her hands and sighs a little as they slowly slide up his arms and work their way up to his face. Their bodies move together now in a more intimate rhythm till Naruto rolls off, knowing that Hinata must be nearly exhausted after all of the days exertions. More importantly, they have no idea who may be currently watching their activities and he would rather not have Ko or Tinico suddenly make an appearance and start making a fuss. He smiles as she curls up beside him for more than just physical warmth.
Naruto looks down at Hinata with a gentle smile as he brushes her cheek with the tips of his fingers. "I have been meaning to ask you something."
"Oh really?" Hinata can barely say the words without stammering, as her hands nervously trace circles over Naruto's heart while she anxiously waits for his question.
Naruto licks his lips and takes a nervous breath. "Hyuga Hinata, we have been dating for several weeks now… and I uh… was wondering if… you would…"
"Yes!" Hinata blurts out excitedly hoping she knows what he was nervously trying to ask. When she feels his chest rumble with laughter, she realizes that she had jumped ahead in the conversation, and just buries her head in his chest in embarrassment. 'Oh great, now I come off as rude, and desperate too.' The little voice in her head reminds her that she 'is' becoming desperate for more, so why try and hide the truth from Naruto.
'Man, I should have asked her this a while ago.' With that in mind Naruto's confidence returns. "So will you be my girlfriend Hinata-tenshi? Not just… two people who are dating, but a real couple… kind of… thing?" Naruto wants to just curl up and let Rock Lee kick him around for a while at how lame he just sounded. 'I know it sounded better when I was practicing this morning.'
'NOT REALLY.' Kurama just had to take a shot. The moment was just too easy to let pass.
'One of these days furball.' Naruto mentally shakes a fist at the kyubi. His ire is interrupted as a warm soft hand touches his cheek and turns his face.
"Yes, that is something I have wanted for a long time." She gives him a gentle kiss to seal their new status as a now official couple.
"Good, then this is yours now." He holds out a key to Hinata, with a tiny orange toad attached to the key ring. "It is the spare key to my apartment. I am sure you were planning on going back to my place while I am gone again, and leave me another surprise." Her guilty blush is all he needs to confirm his suspicions. "I feel bad that my place is such a wreck, again, and I am going to try and straighten up tonight before I go to bed." He smirks at her at how hopeless that challenge is going to be for him. "It wouldn't be right for my girlfriend to have to break into my apartment."
Naruto laughs out loud when Hinata's blush deepens when he mentions the words 'breaking in' and gives her a comforting hug to let her know that he was never upset about what she had done. As they embrace a realization hits home, and he blinks a few times to let it fully sink in, 'I have a girlfriend now. I can't believe that Hinata is actually my girlfriend. I seriously hope that I am not dreaming, or I am going to be really upset if I wake and all of this wasn't real.'
It takes all of Hinata's self-control to not reach out and snatch the key from his hand as if it was a priceless artifact, because to her this is something worth a mountain of gold. She stares at the key and imagines that it fits the lock to one of the last barriers between her and the greatest treasure of the Leaf Village, Naruto's heart. She wraps her fingers slowly around the offered key and clutches it to her heart as she buries her face against his chest. "T-T-Thank you, Naruto-kun," is all she can say before her throat closes up and she has to stop herself from weeping for joy. 'We are now an official couple, Uzumaki Naruto is now my boyfriend.'
Naruto wraps an arm around Hinata and gently strokes her hair. "When I am away on a mission and you need someplace to relax and get away from all of the responsibilities that you have, feel free to go to my place." He kisses the top of her head and smiles knowing that his next statement will most likely induce one of her signature blushes. "Heck, you can come to my place even when I am not on a mission." He is rewarded with the expected spasm of her muscles and the attempt to bury her face even deeper against his body.
Hinata eventually looks up with a wry smile. "This means that you had better start behaving when I am not around, or I just might show up unexpectedly at your apartment and catch you in the act." She giggles and brushes his face lovingly when his face contorts into mock surprise that she would accuse him of mischief.
Naruto decides to change the subject before the conversation gets into what sort of mischief that she thinks he might be doing when he thinks that she is not around. "Hey, I think the shadow clones have done enough practice, at least for a first time. Be careful, it has been a little rough a few times when I use too many shadow clones to accelerate my training and I dismiss them all at once." He smirks as she raises her head in a way that allows her long hair to fall and conceal her face.
Once she feels that she has gotten her emotions back under control from the excitement of becoming an official couple, Hinata brushes back her hair and smiles. "Alright, I think that I am ready. How do you want me to proceed?"
Naruto takes ahold of Hinata's hand to give her some support, just in case. "Okay, dismiss your clones one at a time and be ready for a moment of disorientation as their memories come in and mingle with your own."
Hinata is able to maintain her focus, as the memories of the three shadow clone's different training experiences, merge with her own memories. Naruto squeezes her hand as she opens her eyes and gives him a smile. The memories of her other selves trying to maintain their focus on their training as Naruto's shadow clones watched them protectively, nearly makes her giggle. 'It was like having three extra dates with Naruto-kun.'
"I find it best to allow myself a nap, or sometimes I just pass out from too much strain, to give my subconscious time to process everything that I just learned. So wait till tomorrow before trying anything with your water affinity." He stands up and holds out his hand. "I don't know about you Hinata, but I sure could use something to eat after everything we have done today." As she stands, he smirks mischievously. "Don't be shy about asking for a second plate of food tonight just because I am around, you did so much today you deserve thirds."
Hinata turns her head so that he cannot enjoy the shocked look on her face. 'I may never forgive father for saying that in front of Naruto-kun. He made me sound like some sort of pig. I…' Unfortunately, the sudden movement makes her feel a little light headed and she loses her balance. Before she can say anything, a pair of strong arms catches her and lifts her up gently. For the second time today Hinata finds herself being held protectively in Naruto's arms. As she nuzzles her head against his neck she thinks to herself, 'This is nice, I could stay here for a while.'
"I'm sorry tenshi, I guess I pushed things a little too far today." Naruto pulls her a little tighter against his chest. "Just rest yourself for a bit and let me carry you home okay."
Hinata just nods and spends the way too short trip back to the main house imagining that each pair of trees that Naruto carries her between is the threshold of a doorway.
END FLASHBACK
Hinata reaches back and strokes Naruto's cheek gently as he continues to leave one gentle kiss after another on her neck and collarbone. Her mind wanders back to how fun it was to be carried back to her home in his arms, and the secret smile they shared as the servants made a fuss over her exhausted condition when they reached the main house. "Naruto-dear, your breakfast is going to get cold and you will be late for…" She loses complete focus on what she was about to say as Naruto lifts up his chin and licks her in the sensitive little divot right behind her earlobe. Hinata places both hands on the counter and grips it tightly to keep herself from letting out a gasp, or knocking their plate onto the floor.
Naruto slides his hands from around Hinata's middle and picks up the two plates before walking over to his small table. "Wow, this looks delicious Hinata." He lifts up one plate and inhales deeply. "It smells even better. What are you waiting on, it's time to eat."
Hinata feels her face go red from shock at what just occurred. 'How could he think of food after what he just did?' She turns around ready to say something, she isn't sure what, but whatever she says will leave him well scolded. "Naruto-kun, I…" Again her words become lost as she sees him holding out a chair for her, a 'got you' smirk plastered on his face. Instead of letting him have a total victory Hinata holds up her chin and takes her seat. "Holding out my chair for me two meals in a row. Has your etiquette training finally taken hold? I thought you were only doing it to try and impress my father last night."
Naruto grins as he sits down across from Hinata. "Well, it doesn't hurt to be polite in front of the man who could potentially stop my heart with just the touch of his hand." His body then shudders as if electricity was now coursing through his body.
Hinata somehow controls herself and looks bored at Naruto's antics, even though on the inside she is laughing. "Well, after he caught you kissing me that was probably a wise course of action." Hinata takes a sip of tea and waits for Naruto riposte.
He scratches his chin thoughtfully with his chopsticks. "Let me see, if I recall correctly you were not putting up any resistance. I do believe that a pair of lips, yours to be more precise, were more than meeting mine halfway when your father showed up."
Hinata nods ever so slightly in agreement. "True, but I am starting to wonder if your 'special training' didn't have an ulterior motive." She gives him a questioning look.
Naruto puts both hands on the table and leans towards Hinata. "That's right, your training! I know you Hinata, so you might as well tell me how it went this morning when you snuck out to the practice field." He is nearly bouncing out of his seat in nervous excitement. 'Man, I can't let her know that part of my plan was to let the clones do all of the work while we spent some extra time together. She would probably just think I am some sort of lazy pervert if she knew the truth.'
'Is he trying to avoid my question?' Hinata mentally shrugs. 'Probably not, he has always been so focused on his training, but a girl can hope.' She sighs inwardly as she nods at his question. "I guess I can't hide the truth from you, Naruto-kun. I did try this morning to see if I could notice any improvement." What she couldn't tell him is that she was so impatient this morning to see if there was any improvement that she had done it while taking a shower. The very thought of telling Naruto about standing in the shower while manipulating the water around her naked body is threatening to cause her to blush brightly, possible even faint.
"Can I watch?" Naruto asks excitedly.
Hinata drops her chopsticks and her hands cover her mouth in shock. "What?" Her face suddenly feels so warm that she is sure that room was taking on a pink hue from the glow.
"I would love to watch you, Hinata." Naruto stands up and turns on the tap in the sink, while he turns back to see her blushing brightly he can't help but laugh. "Don't feel embarrassed, I know I am going to like whatever I see." He holds out a hand to help her rise up out of her seat.
She closes her eyes, unable to look into his in fear he might somehow discern what she was actually thinking about, and takes his offered hand. She keeps her eyes closed has she performs the hand signs and focuses her chakra towards the sound of running water. She smiles when she hears Naruto gasp in excitement. Instead of four marble size orbs of waters circling around her body, there are five slightly larger orbs. Still unable to look Naruto in the eyes she watches in wonder at the transparent spheres orbiting around her body, ready to do her bidding. "See Naruto-kun, I am able to finally form that fifth orb that has been giving me so much trouble lately."
She finally looks over at Naruto and sees him watching them orbit her body with the same amazement she is feeling. "All thanks to you, Naruto-kun."
Naruto looks at Hinata in surprise and then shakes his head. "All I did was show you a few tricks, tenshi. It was you who did all of the hard work. You never give yourself enough credit for all of the hard work that you do every day." He steps forward to give her a comforting hug and is immediately pelted by the five balls of water. "I need to remember about those orbs. What is this, the third or fourth time I have gotten hit by those things?" All he can do is stand there and laugh at himself.
Hinata, her hands now covering her mouth, giggles at the sight of the great hero of the Fourth Shinobi War looking so embarrassed. "Sixth, but who is counting?" She hands him a dishtowel and points at the table before cutting off the flow in the sink. "Go on, you need to finish eating your breakfast before it gets any colder, and you need to get to the main gate on time."
After they finish eating Hinata takes their plates and places them into the sink. "I'll come back later and clean up. It will be easy to do now that I have a key." Hinata smiles victoriously when she hears him laugh at her comment, but with it comes a bit of sadness since that this may the last laugh of his she hears for a few weeks. 'It will be so quiet without his daily presence.' HInata keeps smiling because she does not want Naruto to see her unhappy before he leaves. She walks to the door, where he is waiting, and pulls out a small bundle along with a scroll. "I made you something to eat for lunch and a couple of treats for while you are away."
Naruto pulls out a scroll as well, and hands it to Hinata. "I bet it is obvious by the way the kitchen looks that I made you something to take with you when you leave for your mission tomorrow. I hope you like them, Hinata-tenshi." He opens his arms and they share an embrace.
Hinata cuddles up against his chest and crosses her fingers in hopes that he will like what she is about to do. She lifts her chin ever so slowly and touches her lips to his neck. The vibrations of his surprised grunt makes her lips tingle, and emboldens her to kiss another spot. Hinata traces a few more kisses down his neck, to the area that is hidden by his jacket collar, and kisses more intensely.
Naruto is not sure if he is in heaven, or just paralyzed, by the feeling of Hinata's lips on his neck. 'I wonder if Baa-chan would get mad if I just paid her to let me go with Hinata on her mission, instead of with Hanabi's team.' He probably would have made a comment about the sudden sharp intensity of Hinata's kiss, if he wasn't trying to keep his traitorous knees from suddenly buckling. Naruto's body is now in total disarray. His mouth wants to find the nearest part of Hinata and taste, nibble, bite, whatever it could as long as it could be satisfied. His hands are grasping onto her baggy jacket, and he might have ripped two chunks right out of it, if his hand muscles were not unexpectedly twitching erratically. "Hina-Hina-Hina…"
Hinata steps back with half-closed eyes and admires her handiwork. 'I did it, and he was not expecting me to do something like that either.' She truly wants to reach out and caress his now feverish looking face mockingly, but the hungry look in his eyes warns her that might be a bad idea at the moment. Instead she takes a deep breath and opens the door. "Now you bear my mark on your neck, Naruto-kun. So we are even, for now." She quickly closes the door as his hand reaches out towards her frantically. Not wanting to actually get too far away, she steps across the hall from his door and leans up against the cool wall, and waits.
Naruto quickly recovers once her mocking eyes are not staring at him, and he flings open the door violently expecting, and secretly hoping, to have to chase her across half the village. He is surprised to see her waiting for him, her palms flat against the wall, and a nervous smile on her face. "That was a dirty trick, tenshi." His smile takes on an almost feral look as he crosses the gap between them, hungrily.
Hinata raises her chin defiantly, as if she was daring him to return the favor. "It's only fair, since you seem to take such pleasure in finding new ways to make me blush each day. I…" Any further words are cut short as his palms slam up against the wall on either side of her head and his lip press up against her throat, just above her hitai-ate. Her body feels like it is about to lose all cohesion and melt into a puddle when he slowly sniffs from her collarbone to right behind her ear in one long, slow sniff. Her hands reach out and grasp his jacket, whether to push him away in panic or drag him tightly against her body she is not sure. In the end, grasping his jacket is the only thing keeping her upright as she moves her head to the side and gasps as his lips kiss hungrily at the base of her neck. "Yes."
Naruto leaves his hands on the wall, for Hinata's safety, as he kisses at the soft warm flesh that is usually hidden from his view. He lifts up his head to take a breath and looks down in satisfaction at the bright red mark on her porcelain-like skin. 'Maybe I should give her a matching one on the other side of her neck?' With that thought in mind he slowly urges her head to the side with his cheek, to expose her unmarked flesh.
Their moment is broken when Naruto's neighbor steps out to see what all of the noise is about. "Who is there? Who is making all of that racket? Uzumaki, is that you?" The old woman reaches up and puts on her glasses and peers myopically at the couple. "Why yes, and the Hyuga heiress too, greetings Hyuga-sama." She gives the couple a polite bow. "You've got a good one there Uzumaki, one that deserves proper treatment." She points at him with her cane threateningly. "Not roughhousing in a hallway like a commoner." She goes back into her home and as she closes the door they hear the raspy cackle of her laughter.
Naruto and Hinata stare at each other in shock for a few moments before they start smiling. Their mirth turns into giggles that don't stop till they are almost to the gate and come across a familiar group of people. It is the group of young ladies that had surrounded Naruto the morning of the New Year's Festival while he was making his rounds with the vendors to make sure that everything was ready. In the lead of the pack is the tall blonde kunoichi that had been the most aggressive about her desire to be Naruto's date for the festival.
Naruto stiffens reflexively, waiting for the usual irritating gush of screams that he hears when he runs into a pack of fangirls. Instead he watches in surprise as the whole group of girl's first look at him, and then at the young woman he is holding hands with, before bowing deeply. "Good morning Uzumaki-sama, and to you as well Hyuga-sama. We hope that you are doing well today."
Hinata and Naruto return the bow and reply that they are doing well and hope that they are too before continuing towards the main gate. As they walk by Hinata looks out the corner of her eyes at the blonde kunoichi and gives her a little nod. Before she can see the girl's reaction her attention is drawn back to Naruto as he starts talking.
"You know, ever since we had our first official date at the New Year's Festival the girls in town have been much less…" Naruto scratches his head trying to come up with the right word.
"Annoying?" Hinata covers her mouth in disbelief that she would say such a rude thing out loud, even if that was what she was thinking.
Naruto nods in agreement to her comment. "Yeah, that would be a good way to describe how they were acting. They have been very polite lately, almost nervous to be honest, when they greet me on the streets."
"Really?" Hinata was glad that she already had her hand over her mouth so that Naruto could not see her satisfied smile. 'At least one problem seems to have been solved, or at least reduced. Outside the village is different, but I trust him not to submit to that kind of temptation now that we are together.'
Naruto glances over at Hinata, concerned about the strange way she has suddenly started acting. "Yeah, it was very troublesome, as Shikamaru would say, to have girls surround me like that and try to get my attention. I…" Naruto's eyes go wide in realization. "Oh kami, I am sorry, I really shouldn't talk about that kind of stuff to you Hinata." He bows his head in shame. 'What kind of idiot are you Naruto? Don't answer that Kurama, I wasn't talking to you, okay. Of course she is acting weird, you just talked about how girls have been hitting on you, right in front of your girlfriend and just before you got away on a mission. Man, I wish this was just a dream and I could wake up, start over, and stop myself from being so stupid right now.'
Hinata could see that he was beating himself up for his remarks and has to smile at seeing him so worried about upsetting her. She places a hand on his head and tousles his blonde hair a little. "It's okay Naruto-kun, you didn't mean any harm. Besides, I am your girlfriend now and they seem to understand that fact.' Her face blushes a little as he looks up at her gratefully. 'Hopefully everyone will accept that fact soon.'
Naruto looks over Hinata's shoulder and smirks just before he starts waving. "Hey, little girl, over here."
A young girl, who had just walked through the main gate carrying a basket of yellow flowers approaches and bows to them both. "Yes, Uzumaki-sama, would you like to buy some flowers?" She reaches down into the basket and holds up a handful of fresh cut daffodils.
Naruto looks over at Hinata with a questioning look. "How about it, Hinata? Would you mind if I bought you some flowers before I leave?"
Hinata answers his question by taking the flowers from the girl and bringing them up to her nose. As she stands there enjoying the smell of her new flowers, Hinata's eyes never stop looking into Naruto's. Once the flower girl walks away happily counting her money, Hinata leans over and gives Naruto a peck on the cheek. "You didn't need to buy me flowers, Naruto-kun."
"Need to?" Naruto gives a slight shrug. "Want to, absolutely. You have a very nice smile, and it makes me happy every time I see you smile and to know that I did something right to make that happen." He takes one of her hands in his own and the two of them just stand there for a moment looking at each other, trying to commit the moment to memory.
"Good morning you two." Tenten says as she and Shino come up to greet their two friends. "Are you ready to get this mission over with as quickly as possible like I am, Naruto?"
Hinata and Naruto turn to see that not only is Shino walking with Tenten, but their hands are intertwined. The girls look at each other with a smile, both knowing that the other is smiling because their friend seems to be almost glowing with happiness. The two guys just trade silent nods of greetings with each other.
The four old friends chat with each other and make arrangements for a double date when they all get back from their missions, while the rest of Tenten's team slowly arrives. The last to show up at the gate surprisingly is Hanabi, who comes running up to the gate. "Sorry I'm late." She glares at a smirking Ookami and walks up to Tenten. "Are you ready to go sensei?"
Tenten nods and as her students start walking towards the gate she leans over and gives Shino and quick kiss. "I'll be back as soon as I can, okay, and please be careful on your mission." She laughs and shakes her head as Shino just quietly nods his head in agreement. Tenten then looks over at Naruto and Hinata with a smirk. "Try not to take too long saying goodbye this time, or the mission might be over by the time you get there Naruto." She then heads off to catch up with her team without waiting for a response.
"They are just lucky that I am coming along to protect them, and just won't admit the truth." He chuckles as he looks over at Hinata to try and memorize how she looks at this moment. "I guess I have to go, at least for a little while Hinata-tenshi." He sighs heavily as he sees the resignation in her eyes.
Hinata places a hand on Naruto's arm and puts her forehead on his chest. "I… I need to apologize before you go Naruto-kun." She resists his attempt to pull her face up to look into his own. "I am sorry about this morning. I… I wanted to… but…" She buries her face deeply into his chest in shame. She is ashamed that she let her fears stop her and ashamed that she just admitted that she wants… for them to… be together. It just not the proper thing for a girl raised like she has been, to admit to openly.
Naruto wraps his arms around Hinata and places his cheek on the top of her head. "Don't be sorry, tenshi. I was scared too." He smiles as he feels her hands grip him a little tighter. "I can wait. No, let me say something right for a change. I want to wait till the moment is right, and not rush this, because it is a big step in a relationship and I really don't want to mess up something this special. I want it to be perfect, like you Hinata."
All Hinata can do is look up into his big blue eyes and try not to cry as she sees the truth in his eyes. "Thank you Naruto-kun."
He gives Hinata a warm, loving kiss to seal his promise and they share another warm embrace. "Besides, aren't people supposed to wait till they get married? If that is what you want, then I am willing to wait." He gives a great big fox grin as she squeezes him with an almost crushing hug. "I guess I better go before Tenten sends Hanabi back to drag me along."
Hinata just nods and waves goodbye with a glazed look in her eyes as she watches Naruto running down the road. Once he is out of sight, Hinata slowly walks back through the village touching her fingers together rhythmically, nearly dropping the flowers she is carrying. Hinata barely even registers people as she walks by and returns their greeting out of force of habit.
Outside the Yamanaka flower shop two familiar people are talking and wave as Hinata draws close. "Good morning Ino-san. Good morning Sakura-san. I hope you have a pleasant day." Hinata waves as she walks by, not even noticing the curious looks the two girls give her as she walks past.
Tears are forming in Hinata's eyes by the time she reaches her destination, and as she knocks on the familiar door one of the tears rolls down her cheek and lands on her flowers. By the time Yuhi Kurenai opens the door Hinata is gasping for air while fanning her face rapidly with one hand while the other is nearly crushing the small bouquet of daffodils. Her tears have gone from small drops to a steady stream down her cheeks.
"Hinata, what is wrong?" Kurenai wraps an arm around the crying girl's shoulders and leads her into the living room. "Please tell me what happened. Are you okay?"
"N-N-Naruto!" Her hands cover her mouth as she basically shouts out his name.
"What did he do?" Kurenai's eyes narrow dangerously. 'So help me if he hurt her I'll put him in a genjutsu that will make the war seem like a summer festival.' She reaches down, grasps Hinata's hands and forces the girl to look her in the eyes. "Tell me what happened? Did Naruto hurt you, Hinata?"
Hinata looks into her sensei's red eyes and smiles. "He said marriage." She then promptly passes out as her forehead lands heavily on Kurenai's shoulder.
Kurenai starts shaking Hinata, probably a little rougher than she means to do, trying to get Hinata to open her eyes and explain her last statement. "Hinata wake up! You can't just say marriage and then faint on me dammit. Are you and Naruto engaged?" She grabs Hinata's left hand and is disappointed when she sees that there is no ring present on the girl's hand. 'Dammit, did he propose and forget to give her a ring? No, I don't think even he is that clueless.'
Hinata stirs a little at the mention of the word marriage, but her eyes stay closed. Instead, she just sighs and then smiles before laying her head on Kurenai's lap, curling up on the couch like a little kitten with the slightly bruised bouquet of daffodils held up to her nose. She is so caught up on dreaming about those last few moments with Naruto that the world could end now, and she would never even know that it was over.
