A/N: Welcome back, for the second half of Naruto's confession. The flashback that occurs in this chapter was originally supposed to have been part of a previous chapter, but upon reflection I felt it worked better as a flashback at this point in the story. After reading the flashback you might find a little more insight on Hinata's emotional state when Sakura came to her house.
As he sees Hinata begin to crumble the gravity of what he just said causes Naruto to groan in exasperation. 'Oh damn, Kurama you tried to stop me from admitting to something that I didn't do, but I ended up saying it anyways and in a far less delicate way than I had originally planned.' As he runs to catch Hinata before she hits the ground, he continues to mentally berate himself for being so stupid sometimes.
Kurama lets out a loud harrumph. 'THAT'S WHAT I HAVE BEEN SAYING FOR YEARS KIT, MAYBE YOU WILL FINALLY LEARN TO START THINKING BEFORE YOU OPEN YOUR BIG MOUTH.' Kurama just shakes his head at how improbable that is of ever happening.
Naruto catches Hinata before her head connects the ground, and lifts her up in his arms before carrying her gently over to the picnic blanket. As he sits down, Naruto holds her head up with one arm while he brushes damp strands of hair away from her eyes. "Hinata-tenshi, please wake up. I need to apologize for being stupid and saying something that wasn't true. I am so sorry that I upset you so badly, please open your pretty eyes."
He slaps his forehead in frustration. "Dammit, why didn't I pay more attention in that basic medical ninjutsu class they made all of us attend? I might know what to do to help her, if I hadn't been staring out the window the whole time thinking about practicing what I thought were more important jutsus. Now, I would give just about anything to know a few basic techniques."
Without knowing what else to do Naruto begins to slowly rock Hinata back and forth while trying to think of something that he might have heard over the years to help wake up somebody who is unconscious. He immediately dismisses the idea of slapping Hinata, or dumping cold water on her face, as a bad idea. 'There was that one story I heard as a kid where the samurai woke up a daimyo's daughter who had been put to sleep by a rogue shinobi's powerful genjutsu.' He looks down at Hinata's flushed cheeks and absently licks his lips. 'He… woke her up with a kiss.'
As he debates this course of action, one of Naruto's fingers slowly twirls and wraps several strands of Hinata's hair around it loosely. 'We… we are dating, at least until she says otherwise, so it should be okay for me to kiss her while she is asleep, right?' He looks up into the sky and shrugs. "I mean, if I were knocked unconscious, I would want my girlfriend to be the one to wake me up with a kiss. It seems ironic that I am going to try and wake her up this way after what I was recently accused of doing, but I am doing it to try to wake her up and not for some perverted reason." He just wishes he felt as confident as he is trying to sound.
He looks off to the side with a sneaky smirk as one thought crosses his mind. "To be honest I think that waking up with Hinata's lips pressed up against mine would be the most amazing way ever to wake up. I can't think of any way waking up could be any better.' His face goes bright red as the thought of them both being in bed together when he is awakened comes to mind. Naruto starts shaking his head from side to side to keep his mind from going even one step further. 'No, I shouldn't think thoughts like that about Hinata right now. She deserves better than to be thought of in that kind of way when she is so vulnerable.'
He looks back down at Hinata with a smile as he adjusts the way he is holding her body, to make her lips more accessible. At first all he does is brush his lips against Hinata's to see if that has any affect, but after a few moments of her showing no signs of waking up Naruto deepens the kiss. After a few seconds of slowly more intensified contact, he can feel her body begin to move, and then her lips start to move in their own rhythm against his own.
Hinata has grown accustom to the sensation of waking up after fainting, but this time feels different. GOOD, but really different. Something warm and soft is pressing up against her lips in a gentle rhythm, while strong arms are holding her protectively. Normally this would be cause for alarm, because someone is trying to take advantage of her condition, but without even opening her eyes she can sense who it is that has awakened her in such a wonderful fashion.
Oh how many times in her life had she dreamt of being awakened by him just like this? She might as well count every day since she was a little girl, as a decent guess of that number. With her eyes still closed, Hinata slowly raises a hand. As it makes its way to its destination it glides its way up one of the strong arms holding her gently. As she feels the hard bicep underneath his jacket, it sends a little thrill through her body that comes out as a little gasp.
Feeling her gasp for air Naruto breaks the kiss and pulls back his head a little. 'Oh crap, she probably needs to breathe you idiot. Either that or she just realized what I am doing and is surprised. I just hope she isn't too surprised, or I might have made things worse.' He waits patiently for Hinata to make the next move.
Hinata's hand finds its destination and runs its fingers through his golden hair for a moment before pulling him back down to her lips. Now reconnected with the one she loves, Hinata tries to block out everything else, except the absolute joy of this dream come true. She pushes aside the worry of her new position, the cold threat made by Sakura, even the fear that there might have been others. 'Others… wait he said…' Her eyes finally open to look up into Naruto's in shock, and more than a little pain as the joy of being awakened with a kiss has become tainted with the reality of what he has admitted to doing. Her hand pulls away and prepares to strike as tears begin to blur her vision.
Before he even sees the look in her eyes Naruto feels Hinata's body stiffen, and when her lips ceases their motion against his own, he knows that the moment has passed. As she opens her eyes Naruto stares down into her face and brushes one cheek gently with a thumb. "Just give me a moment to explain, tenshi. I promise that everything is okay, I didn't mean what I said. I didn't…"
Hinata grabs onto his shirt desperately while trying to not burst out crying. "Then… sniff what did… you mean about those girls… sniff and why is Hanabi thinking…. sniff thinking that you… sniff you are a pervert? Did you…" She just couldn't bring herself to say that word out loud.
'WELL, YOU REALLY ARE A PERVERT. IF SHE COULD ONLY SEE SOME OF THE THOUGHTS THAT HAVE GONE THROUGH YOUR HEAD OVER THE YEARS, SHE WOULD KNOW WHAT I MEAN.' Kurama begins to chuckle as he feels Naruto trying desperately to suppress his embarrassment at the kyubi's comments. 'COULD SOMEBODY WHO IS NOT PERVERTED, COME UP WITH THAT STUPID SEXY JUTSU?'
Naruto thinks calmly to himself as he pulls Hinata into a desperate embrace. 'I'll get you for this later furball, believe it.' The only reply is deep resounding laughter.
Naruto helps Hinata sit up and explains everything to a thankfully patient Hinata about the girls who slapped him. He tells her about how he had made shadow clones to deal with them so he could be left alone to drink in peace. He tells Hinata about Kitara, and how nice it was to meet somebody who just treated him politely without going all crazy fangirl on him, and how he had taken her to eat ramen to keep him company on his birthday. He had felt so lonely back then, even with Tenten around, because he didn't want to talk about that night, which seems to be the only thing their friends ever wanted to talk about. "I just needed someone to sit quietly with me, enjoy having a meal together, and maybe sit quietly letting me ramble on for a little while." He gives Hinata a little smile to show her how much he enjoys sitting quietly having a meal with her now. "She is a very kind person and has an inner strength like you, Hinata. I think if you were ever to meet Kitara that you two would become instant friends." Naruto turns his head to the side and begins to nervously pick at a loose thread on the blanket as he tries to find a way to tell Hinata the rest of the story.
After all of the emotional ups and downs she has already experienced today Hinata is ready for anything that he could possibly say now. She reaches out and pulls his face towards her own. "Something happened between you and Kitara, didn't it Naruto-kun? I can tell there is something more just by the way you are averting your eyes slightly when you say her name."
Naruto looks deeply into her eyes and smiles, never more grateful than right at this moment to hear her add the honorific to his name. "Yeah, sort of, you see after dinner I took her home because she was drunk. It was my fault that she was drunk, and I was afraid that she might get lost or hurt. You should have seen her place Hinata, I thought my place was small and a little run down, but my place looks like the Hokage's residence compared to the shack she is living inside with her younger siblings." Naruto decided to point out siblings up front to make sure there could not possibly be any more misunderstandings.
Naruto brings Hinata's hands up to his lips and kisses them both while looking her straight in the eyes. "Let me say right up front, so that I don't mix up my words again and say something really stupid, that nothing happened between me and Kitara." When he sees Hinata give him a nod with no hint of disbelief in her eyes he relaxes just a little.
Naruto goes on to explain about how he had almost kissed Kitara, and watches guiltily as the muscles of Hinata's jaws tighten as she is obviously trying to maintain control of her emotions till he is through with his story. He then talks about how Ryga had turned over as he was leaning down and stopped him from making a terrible mistake, and how he and the boy had sat and chatted afterwards.
When Naruto tells the part about what had happened to Ryga and his parents, Hinata feels her heart tighten in sadness. Her understanding of why Naruto felt a kinship with the young boy is apparent as is his admiration of Kitara for keeping her family together and alive through those hardships.
"I left all of the emergency ramen, and nearly every bit of money I had, for them as I left that night. Part of it was as an apology for what nearly had happened, but I also really wanted to help them somehow." Naruto feels a surge of warmth go through his body as Hinata gives him a small proud smile.
"I found out from her while I was back at the village, and went to formally apologize for my actions, that the money I had left behind had actually helped to save the life of their little sister." Naruto shakes his head back and forth as if he still does not believe how the events of that encounter were almost destined. "The money that I had left behind was my sake money, but I had decided that night, as I sat with Ryga not to ever drink again. So to help stop myself from giving in to my body's craving for alcohol, I left that money behind for them to use instead. Kitara basically told me that she looks upon our meeting as a blessing and was grateful that things had occurred like they had that night."
"Also, while I was back in the village I met with each of the girls who accused me, and apologized for getting them drunk and then walking away. I wish Kurama had told me the truth earlier and I could have told those girls that absolutely nothing happened, or at least I would have known then if they were trying to pull a fast one by saying something had happen." He places his face in his hands before running his fingers through his hair. "It is such a relief for me to know that I didn't hurt those girls. It's been bothering me ever since, Hinata."
Hinata pushes aside her feelings about his confession when she sees Naruto in such distress and reaches out to gently caress one of his hands.
Naruto reaches up and wraps both of his hands around her hand and presses it to his chest. "Hinata, I know that I did wrong by getting those girls drunk, and then discarding them like refuse afterwards. More importantly not coming forth with the truth that I had used a jutsu against innocent civilians, which is completely against the laws and principles of the Leaf Village."
"I was just so angry back then, and I was tired of being hounded like I was some sort of carnival prize, that I just couldn't take it anymore." He presses his feverish cheek against her hand, almost like he is praying. "So I tried to punish them, but all it did was just make me feel more miserable." He looks into Hinata's eyes, tears rolling down his cheeks. "That is no excuse really, and I wish I could go back and stop myself, because those girls didn't deserve that kind of treatment, I should have found a better solution. Plus, I don't want you to think badly of me, tenshi. I don't think that I could handle…" He lowers his head in shame.
Hinata places her other hand on his tear stained cheek. "I knew about the rumors of you being seen hanging out with some of those girls." She gives him a slight sad smile as he looks up at her apologetically. "Well, at least the part about you being seen walking around with some of them while you were away from the village, and I knew about your drinking. I overheard some people speculating about what you and those girls were doing." Hinata leans down as she brings his hands up to her cheek so that he cannot see the hurt in her eyes. She is doing this because she can see how all of the guilt of the past few years is weighing down upon Naruto's soul at the moment. The last thing she wants is to compound that guilt with the knowledge of how those years had been as painful a time for her as she can ever remember. 'No, it is best if I just keep the painful memories of that time hidden away in my heart.' As she refocuses her attention back to his confession, something that Kurenai said to her on the way back to her home after their team officially disbanded, comes to Hinata's mind.
FLASHBACK
After a few more toasts the now disbanded Team Kurenai breaks up and heads home for the evening. Shino walks along side of Akumaru, who is carrying an inebriated Kiba on his back, to make sure that his friend makes it home safely and not to a bar to continue his celebration.
Hinata, though not drunk, is feeling a warm sensation spreading up from her stomach and across her body as she waves goodbye to Kiba and Shino. As Kurenai falls into step beside her, Hinata gives her sensei a genuine smile. "Even though we are no longer a team I will always think of you as my sensei."
Kurenai reaches over and takes Hinata's hands between her own. "I was truly blessed to have all three of you as my students. The three of you worked so well together and became more than students to me, you became a family. One that has hopefully prepared me for some of the trails that are to come as my daughter gets older. She is already showing the signs of being rambunctious like her father. I just hope she gets my common sense, or I could be in for some real battles when she gets older." They share a laugh and lean into each other happily as they resume walking towards Hinata's home.
After a little while Kurenai looks over at Hinata. "You didn't seem happy about your new assignment. What are you afraid of Hinata? Is it just the sudden change in your life that this means, or is there something else that is bothering you about joining the Diplomatic Division?"
Hinata had not planned on discussing her concerns with anyone, but now that the subject is broached and the sake has loosened her tongue a little, she decides to tell Kurenai what is laying so heavily on her heart. "I am afraid that otou-sama may have an ulterior motive for suggesting that I join the Diplomatic Division." She stops and regards her sensei, the fear she is feeling clearly showing on her face. "I am afraid that he might want to use my new assignment to put some distance between me and…" Her throat closes up, too overcome suddenly to even say his name.
Kurenai reaches up and brushes the hair on Hinata's temples soothingly. "Take your time."
"He said in light of recent events. Is that because he caught me and Naruto… you know kissing on the practice field, and has decided that things may have gotten more serious between me and Naruto than he wants?" Hinata shakes her head to try and clear her thoughts. "I don't know, maybe I am just being silly. Father did not object to the two of us dating, right? It's just that we have only recently become an official couple, well sort of official since we both had to leave on missions before we could tell anyone."
"We lost so much time after he left the village." Hinata feels a flush of irritation go through her body as she thinks about why he left and the person responsible. "I don't want to lose any more time. I would rather give up being a kunochi than lose him again."
'It's good to see her finally being so assertive about her life and what she truly wants.' Kurenai gives Hinata a few moments to get her emotions back under control before trying to get the girl to listen. "Surely you can think of something less drastic Hinata. You have worked so hard to get where you are now, and it would be a shame to throw it all away when there might be other options."
Hinata looks up into the night sky to contemplate on her plight. "I guess I should try to find some way to convince otou-sama not to use his influence to have me assigned away from the village. I am still his heir, and I should be with him to learn what my duties are going to be once I assume the role as head of the Hyuga Clan, right?"
"See, there are options." Kurenai gives the young woman a reassuring hug. "I suggest that you go home and sleep on it, maybe take a few days to contemplate what you want to say to your father. That way when Naruto comes home you can share with him the news of your new assignment, and have an idea of what you want to do next."
Hinata places her hands over her heart and takes a deep breath. "I have gotten so used to seeing him nearly every day now, and it hurts so much when we are apart now. I guess I am just afraid that something will happen and I will never see him again." Hinata's voice catches in her throat as she looks over at Kurenai, who has already lived through the very fear she has just mentioned. "I am so sorry Kurenai-sensei. I should have been more sensitive to your feelings. I…"
Kurenai places a reassuring hand on Hinata's arm. "It's okay, that is a fear that everyone who is in love with a shinobi has to deal with, or it could really be hard when they finally do lose someone they care about, like when you lost Neji." She looks off towards another part of the village. "That is what happened to Kakashi after Rin's death. He was always a little distant, even when we were students together at the academy, but something in him died with Rin. He became someone we barely recognize anymore, and if it wasn't for Guy's constant challenges I think Kakashi might have been lost. Becoming a sensei is what finally drew him out of that shell and brought back the person I remember when we were younger, because it gave him something to live for again."
She reaches up and brushes a strand of hair away from Hinata's face. "It's similar to what you have done for Naruto. Being with you has finally given Naruto what he has been wanting his whole life, we can all see the change in him ever since you two started dating. I have noticed similar changes in you as well, you are more confident now than before. Use that new found confidence to forge your own destiny and to not let anyone try to take away what you want, whatever or whoever that is Hinata."
The two women share a loving hug as Hinata lets her teacher's advice take hold in her heart. Kurenai steps back and places her hands on Hinata's shoulders as she looks deeply into her students eyes. "You know, in many ways your relationship with Naruto is not too different from my own. My relationship with Asuma was never what anybody would call conventional. We were classmates together and spent a lot of time hanging out together after school. Unfortunately, he was the youngest son of the Third Hokage and I am from a much less prominent family. His mother had plans to marry him off to one of the other houses to strengthen the Sarutobi family's connections within the village."
Kurenai's expression changes to show some of her irritation at her in-laws. "Don't let anyone fool you, the Third Hokage was a good and vastly talented man, but his wife was no slouch. That woman could hold her own intellectually and diplomatically with just about anyone. It seems that the Third Hokage was the only one who could ever bring out that woman's softer side."
Kurenai shakes her head sadly as if she still doesn't believe that the Third Hokage's wife actually had a softer side, and a mirthless smile etches its way across her face. "Anyways, the old woman didn't like the fact that Asuma spent so much time with me, and warned him to be cautious around me because I might be trying to use him to better my social standing. In the end the Third Hokage told his wife that she should not be judging people by their social standing, but by the contents of their heart. So she backed off a little, but from there on out Asuma and I kept everyone in the dark about our growing relationship."
"We became even closer after the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked the village, because his mother and my father were both killed that night. In time, as we got older, things went from a friendship to something more… personal. After we graduated from the academy Asuma and I secretly dated whenever we were both home. It was a wonderful time, and that little secret made the relationship even more exciting. Each time we would see each other was more exciting than the last time. That is until he left the village." Kurenai's gaze drops and her whole body seems to slump.
"He had a disagreement with his father about how the Leaf Village should go about protecting the Land of Fire, and the daimyo in particular. In the end he left the village, and as you know he joined the Twelve Guardian Ninja." Kurenai looks up sadly at Hinata. "What I have never told anyone before is that as he was leaving the village I begged him to take me along. That outside the Leaf Village we could be together without having to deal with anyone's consent. He said no, that I might not approve of everything that he might have to do in order to keep the daimyo safe, and that he could never completely focus on that job if he was worrying about me as well. After he said that, I got mad and we had a really bad fight." She looks up at Hinata with shame clearly etched on her face. "We broke up, to be honest I broke up with Asuma."
Hinata covers her mouth in shock and gives Kurenai a sympathetic look.
"While he was gone I heard rumors about him, and what they were doing. He was right, some of the things I heard were not so pleasant. Shortly after the Twelve Guardian Ninja fell apart he returned to the village and made peace with his father." Kurenai looks up fondly now into the night sky. "I can still remember when he came to my house. It was raining heavily and he was soaked all the way to the skin. I think he had stood outside my house for a while trying to get up the courage to knock on my door. At first I wanted to shut the door right in his face for leaving, but when I saw those big brown eyes looking at me so chastised I just couldn't slam the door. Instead, I slapped him, I slapped him harder than I have ever slapped anyone in my entire life. He didn't say a word, or move a muscle, he just stood there waiting. I don't know if he was waiting for me to hit him more, tell him to go away, or something else."
"What did you do next? What did you say to Asuma?" Until she had spoken Hinata had not realized that she had been holding her breath as she listened to Kurenai's story.
"I didn't say a word, I just wrapped my arms around his neck and held on tightly. I didn't care how wet I got from the rain, I was just so happy to see him again. We stood there in the rain while he said he was sorry, over and over. I think we were both crying the whole time, but with the rain pouring down it was impossible to be sure, but I can tell you honestly that I was crying. After he apologized he asked if it would be okay if he came by to talk sometime, or may take me out to get some tea. I didn't take a chance of letting him back out of my life, I took his hand into mine and I brought him into my house to talk."
Kurenai laughs a little as the memory of that night comes into her mind. "He sat on the floor of my apartment wrapped in blankets while his clothes dried, telling me about his time away from the village. He was right, he did have to do things in order to protect the daimyo that I don't think that I would have been able to do willingly. He told me that most of the Twelve Guardian Ninja were now dead due to an internal conflict, and he was grateful that I had not come along. If I had followed him and ended up dead he would not have been able to live with himself, and would probably have been dead too."
"He…" Kurenai pauses, reluctant to tell the next part of her story. "He admitted to me that there had been others while he was gone from the village. He wasn't bragging, he just wanted me to know the truth, before I found out from somebody else."
Hinata, knowing exactly how her sensei must have felt all those years ago, steps closer and wraps her arms around Kurenai. "What did you say to him when he told you about those other girls?"
Kurenai covers her mouth and laughs for a moment before she replies. "I slapped him again. I know that we broke up when he left, and I really shouldn't have expected anything less from the village rebel, but it still hurt to hear his confession that he had held another woman in his arms. He didn't give me any of those stupid lines that you hear some people say like, 'They didn't mean anything to me, okay.' That would have been a lie, because they had to mean something at the moment, or that meant that maybe our time together before he left hadn't meant anything either."
"You did forgive him though. The two of you… uh…" She begins to blush as she tries to find a delicate way of meaning the daughter Kurenai had with Asuma.
Kurenai smiles and places a hand gently on Hinata's blushing face. "Yes, I forgave him. I love him and that meant I was willing to give us another chance. Though I didn't let him know it right away, after being apart for so long I enjoyed all of the flowers and other gifts I was receiving. It kind of made up for all of the stuff we missed while he was gone."
Her smile turns mischievous and one of her eyebrows arch. "They aren't lying when they say that make-up sex is the best kind." She holds Hinata's now red hot face firmly, so that they can look each other in the eyes. "I'm sure one day you will find this to be true, because all couples have their little spats. It's what you do after all of the shouting is done that really matters. Try to never go to sleep angry, go to sleep in your bedroom and not in separate rooms. Don't be afraid to sometimes be the first to say you are sorry, even when you are the one in the right, because men are sometimes too prideful to admit they are wrong. Once the word has been said, things usually calm down and both of you can talk calmly about what happened."
END FLASHBACK
Naruto has dealt with many things in his life, but seeing Hinata sad because of his actions is making him feel more frantic than any other time that he can remember. "I'm sorry, Hinata-tenshi. I promise you that I will never do anything like that with anyone again, okay. Just please say something."
She is actually relieved to hear his confession, she had somewhat come to grips with the rumors about the other girls. She had already shed her tears back then in fear that he was lost to her forever. To hear from his lips, that all of those girls that he was seen with were only walking with a shadow clone, instead of the real Naruto, causes an unexpected emotional response.
The very night when she had witnessed the incident between Naruto and Sakura, she had actually heard one of those girls openly confess to wanting to use him as a way to gain social status, without any real care for what harm it might do him in the end. Now hearing that none of them had come close to reaching their terrible goal, makes her want to celebrate. 'He gave them what they wanted, to be able to say that they had spent time talking with the hero Uzumaki Naruto, but he gave them nothing more. They never really wanted the real Naruto, just the legendary hero, and he never let them get near his true self. I know that I actually should be dismayed that he used shadow clones in this manner, but I am having trouble feeling badly for those girls at the moment.'
Hinata gives Naruto a stern look, trying to suppress her sudden need to wrap her arms tightly around him and kiss him deeply, while deciding what she should do next. 'I have the real Uzumaki Naruto now, and I don't want anything to take that away from me now that we are finally together.'
When she sees him shrink a little from her stern gaze as he is waiting on her response, a thought crosses Hinata's mind. 'Would it be wrong of me to use this to my advantage? Why not, if I do this correctly it would hopefully ruin any chance of Sakura actually succeeding with her horrible threat. Didn't Kurenai-sensei use Asuma's apology as a way to get some extra attention for a little while?' Hinata nervously bites her lip for a second, before offering Naruto a deal. "I forgive you and I accept your promise Uzumaki Naruto, but I would like something in return." She smiles shyly, while trying to dig up more courage to go through with her idea. "Let's call it a gesture of good faith." Hinata's stomach begins to quiver nervously with such an intensity she would not be surprised at all if he noticed her jacket twitching.
Naruto, after being sick with worry for the last several days that this day could turn out badly, is overjoyed that things have turned out better than he dared hoped it could. So much so that he is willing to give Hinata anything she is about to ask for to make up for making her think he had actually raped those girls. "Just name it Hinata, and it is yours!"
Hinata takes her time and pretends to look around the clearing, tapping her lips in thought. "You could… no, it should be something significant. Maybe buy me… no, I could buy one of those if I wanted, since I am an important heiress." She watches Naruto out of the corner of one eye and tries not to giggle when each time she speaks he leans forward in anticipation, only to slump back down dejected as she changes her mind.
"It needs to be something very special, don't you think?" Hinata has to look completely away to keep him from seeing her smile, when he nods in agreement with his eyes wide open in anticipation. 'I can't believe I am teasing Naruto-kun like this, I guess Kurenai-sensei was right I have changed since he and I started dating. I would never have dreamed of doing something like this just a few months ago.'
When the growing guilt for teasing him becomes nearly unbearable, Hinata decides it is time to let him off the hook, so she snaps her fingers and giggles when Naruto shakes like a startled kitten and then freezes in place. "I know what is the perfect way to seal an important promise like this one." She gives him a questioning look, as if asking him if he truly felt that this was important.
"What, what is it Hinata?" Naruto leans forward, and is a little surprised as Hinata suddenly blushes as she leans closer to look deeply into his eyes. To him it seems as if she is trying to verify his sincerity. "You name it tenshi, and it will be yours, believe it. Dinner at a fancy restaurant, a new kimono, uh…" His mind starts searching for other things that Hinata might find acceptable as a gift to seal his promise. "Uh… a puppy?"
Hinata cannot believe what she is about to say, but it is by becoming bolder that she has finally gotten closer to Naruto, so she gives into that impulse and says what is on her mind. "A kiss, silly." Hinata smiles at the sudden confusion on Naruto's face. "Giving me a kiss to seal a promise that your lips will never touch another pair of lips except mine, seems quite appropriate." She leans back and pushes out her lower lip in mock sadness. "Unless, you think that a kiss is too much for me to ask. I guess I could probably accept a mpfh."
Naruto leans quickly forward and gently kisses her lower lip. A sense of relief floods through his body when her lips part into a smile and returns his kiss. As if they had already planned their next move, both of them reach up with a hand and lightly touch the others cheek, drawing imaginary lines with the back of their fingernails. One kiss leads to another, and then another, before long they are laying down on the blanket holding on to each other tightly and putting their heart, mind and soul into remembering this moment.
They both wrap their arms tightly around the other and hug as they both begin to smile, but for slightly different reasons. Naruto smiles as a great weight is lifted from his heart, and the possibility of a life together with Hinata seems to be in his future.
Hinata is smiling because of the promise Naruto has just made has lifted a weight from her heart as well. The dreams that have evolved over the years from wanting to be his friend, to wishing that she could be his girlfriend, and finally wanting to be the one walking by his side have never seemed more tangible than this moment.
Finally, they part and just lay side-by-side, looking up at the slowly darkening sky. Naruto strokes her hair for a while before he suddenly laughs out loud. "That was an interesting way to seal a promise, Hinata."
Hinata, who has almost fallen asleep from the hypnotic feeling of Naruto brushing her hair with his fingertips, sighs happily before replying. "Well, since I am now part of the Diplomatic Division I need to come up with ways to broker treaties that both parties will find agreeable." Hinata blushes as she mentally adds, 'It doesn't hurt if I get a slightly better bargain in the deal for myself, does it? I mean that is what I am supposed to do as a diplomat, get the best possible deal for the people I represent.'
Naruto raises an eyebrow as he looks at Hinata. "First, as Hokage if anyone else tries to seal a deal with you by kissing, there will be a WAR, believe it."
"The promise that you made and sealed with a kiss goes both ways, so I don't think you will ever have to worry about me sealing a bargain this way with anyone other than you, Naruto-kun." Hinata lowers her head as she makes her mental confession. 'Not that I have ever wanted, or ever planned to let anyone else but you kiss my lips.'
He lifts up her chin as she tries to hide her now blushing face in his chest. "Secondly, you got a new assignment? When did this happen? What about Kiba and Shino, are they going to be part of the Diplomatic Division too?" Naruto cannot help but laugh at the thought of either of her teammates being involved in diplomacy. "I can see it now, instead of shaking hands Kiba will sniff them somewhere inappropriate. Shino will freak people out because after they shake hands they will notice bugs crawling up their arms."
Hinata gives Naruto a scolding pat on the stomach, but his laughing and the mental image of his statement causes her to start giggling as well. She continues to smile, even as she sadly thinks about how her new assignment may soon be keeping them apart even more. "Yeah, Kurenai-sensei has taken a teaching position, so they disbanded our team. Kiba and Shino are jōnin now, so they are going to be assigned some genin from the next graduating class. I have been assigned to join the Diplomatic Division, most likely because there has been a member of the main branch of the Hyuga clan in the Diplomatic Division all the way back to the beginning of the Leaf Village."
Naruto tilts his head to look Hinata directly into her eyes. "You don't seem very happy about this assignment. Is being part of the Diplomatic Division really that bad of a job?"
Hinata just shrugs at first, but Naruto's gaze just becomes more insistent and she tells him the truth. "No, I actually like the job, and the people that I have been working with so far. It's just…" She turns her head away, afraid somehow if she says it out loud that it will make the worst possible outcome a reality.
"What?" Naruto kisses Hinata on the cheek and puts a comforting arm around her shoulders. "Please tell me, tenshi."
Hinata looks at Naruto, a single tear trailing down her cheek. "It is possible that I could be assigned to a diplomatic mission far away from… the Leaf Village." She just could not say that it is him that she might be sent away from, because that would probably just cause her to start crying uncontrollably. "Otou-sama is in charge of the Diplomatic Division, so when the Hokage needs someone to deal with treaties, negotiations, and things like that, he fills those requests with who he feels is the right person for the job. These assignments can take a lot of time and sometimes require the diplomat to travel great distances."
Hinata reaches up and strokes the whisker marks on Naruto's cheeks. "I'll be honest with you, he… he wasn't happy when I invited you to dinner that first night, or later when we were first assigned to work together, Naruto-kun. Some others were concerned as well, but did not say anything to me directly." She brings her other hand up to keep him from looking away. "That was when you had just recently returned to the village. The rumors of your drinking and your fight with Gaara were still fresh in everyone's minds. Now that they have gotten to know you, the person that I… care about, I believe that the apprehension that most of them were feeling has gone away."
Naruto lets out a long heavy sigh as a new wrinkle becomes apparent. "Unfortunately, a new rumor may be about to come to light about what those girls claim I have done. Add to that the truth of me using a jutsu against innocent civilians couldn't have happened at a worse time." Naruto places his hands on top of Hinata's and gives her an apologetic smile. "So what you are saying is that if your father was to hear about this stuff at the wrong time he might decide to…" Naruto looks up into the sky in frustration.
"Well, fortunately I was planning on talking with your father about this anyways, but only after I had spoken with you first." He gives her a sheepish smirk. "If you had broken up with me, then talking with your father would not have mattered to me anymore."
Hinata rolls over on top of Naruto and places her head on his chest. "Please don't say that, it scares me to hear you say those words." Hinata buries her face against his chest, right over his heart, as she tries to push aside all the painful thoughts and memories that were drudged up again during his confession. "I don't want either of us to ever even think those words again."
Naruto nods in agreement as he lovingly strokes Hinata's hair. "When I take you home tonight I will see if your father can spare some time to talk with me for a while. I think this is something that I need to explain carefully, to make sure I don't slip up like I did earlier and he tries to have me thrown out before I can finish talking. Plus, I really need to find Hanabi and explain everything before she tries something again."
Hinata just giggles at how absentminded Naruto can be sometimes. "You have forgotten my family's tradition haven't you, Naruto-kun? Hanabi-chan has come home from a mission, and otou-sama likes to hear about what happened as part of our dinner conversation. Since you were part of her team again, I am inviting you to join us for dinner tonight." She reaches up and gently touches her palm to his warm face. "If we hurry, you can have a private chat with otou-sama before dinner. That will let you tell him in your own way before anything unfortunate can happen. Hopefully we can find Hanabi-chan before dinner as well, that way tonight's dinner will not be so awkward. We can sit together and have dinner like it is just a normal family dinner."
Hearing the word 'family' being uttered from Hinata's lips sends a surge of excitement through Naruto and drives him into action. He stands up and takes Hinata by the hand and starts leading her back towards the village. "You are right, Hinata. Right now is the best time for me to set things right with Hanabi, especially after the trick she pulled on me earlier, so I accept your dinner invitation. Just so you know I am going to be up front with your father, for better or worse, about using jutsu's against civilians. I don't want the accusations of me doing perverted things with those girls using my shadow clone jutsu to come back around later and cause us any new problems. I need to come clean about what exactly happened, face the consequence of my actions, and move forward with our lives. Hopefully, your father will respect my honesty, and give me a chance to show him that the guy who he has gotten to know recently is the real Uzumaki Naruto, not the idiot who crawled into a sake barrel." When he sees Hinata point back to the picnic blanket and basket he makes a few shadow clones to clean up and hopefully catch up with them before they reach the Hyuga compound.
As they walk hand-in-hand back towards her home, Hinata reflects on the all of the things she has learned today. She knew that she should be more upset than she is feeling, at learning how badly Naruto had treated those girls. Even if they had been annoying fangirls bent on charming their way into Naruto's life because he was famous, they deserved more honesty from him and less trickery. Instead, finding out that he had not succumbed to their charms is what dominates her thoughts.
The news that he had not slept with any of those girls has put another one of her nagging fears to rest. Lately, she had begun to worry that he might compare her to some other girl he had been with, if they are ever able to become intimate. 'I mean, what if one or more of those girls had been very experienced, and if we…ever…" She takes a deep breath as her resolve strengthens and then becomes a happy blush across her face. 'No, it is WHEN we… you know… that I was afraid that Naruto-kun would be disappointed in my lack of… ability to…' She bites her lip and lets the knowledge that those fears have now been set at ease occupy her thoughts, to keep herself from fainting right in the middle of the street. 'Now not only will Naruto-kun be my first and only, I will be his first and only as well.'
Hinata wraps herself lovingly around Naruto's arm as they make their way through the center of the village. She pushes aside her nagging guilt that she had not told him about Sakura's plea, as she had planned, but Naruto's confession had caught her off guard and jumbled her thoughts. 'I'll wait till things have calmed down a little and then tell him when the time is right.' The excuse is weak and she knows it, but she needs him to focus on talking with her father right now instead of Sakura. 'I need to think about everything that I have learned tonight and come up with a plan to best deal with Sakura before I tell him about what she threatened to do to me and why she felt the need to make that threat.'
A/N: The next chapter will be the end of this story arc, and I am hoping to start the next arc on or near the anniversary of the first chapter being submitted. That arc may, or may not be, the final arc of this story. I had plans for at least 2 probably 3 more arcs before finishing the story, but frustration with finding time to write is starting to be an issue. Anyways, the next arc is going to have several chapters and will take us well into next year so who knows.