As always, Naruto belongs to Kishimoto.
Kiba grabbed Hinata's arm and pulled her close as those around them grew quiet. "Can you see what's going on?" he asked.
Hinata searched for a cause to the blank, empty expression that seemed to spread from person to person without reason. The only thing in common was their heads, all upturned and staring at the sky.
"They're looking at some. . ." Hinata said as she looked up. There, she found the moon. Beautiful, bright, and bathing the world in red light.
Hinata's head jerked up and she searched her surroundings with wild eyes. A towel wrapped around her long hair was flipped up to hold itself stable atop her head. The wet floor mat squished beneath her feet and the bath dripped from a recent draining. She was dressed in a black shirt and her usual blue pants, and she brandished a hair brush like a kunai.
She was . . . in the bathroom . . . getting ready.
That didn't make any sense. She had been . . . what had she been doing? Her heart beat hard in her chest as if she was in battle, but the only enemy here was her own reflection in the mirror. Had she fallen asleep just now? A harsh awakening could spike adrenaline. That must be it. This was her home after all, though the bathroom seemed smaller despite being the same one she'd known all her life.
Hinata took several deep breaths and pulled the towel from her head to let the wet hair fall free. Whatever happened, the adrenaline was ebbing away. With practiced movements, Hinata collected her hair at the nap of her neck and pulled it over one shoulder to brush the bottom out first. Her hands continued to tremble, but the repetitive motion of the brush soothed her. She brushed out her crown next, pulling all the hair back to clear away the tangles, before moving to the mirror to separate her bangs.
Her hand stalled when she saw her reflection. There was something very, very wrong with her face, but she didn't know what. It was the same nose and cheeks she was used to, same dark hair, same brown eyes . . . that was it. They were too dark, but they were the same eyes that stared back at her every time she looked in a mirror. Why did she think they should be lighter?
A motherly voice from downstairs broke Hinata from her confusion. "Hinata, breakfast is ready."
"Coming." She hastily finished brushing her hair and, since it was warm enough outside to let her hair air dry, made her way down the narrow staircase.
The small dining room had only enough space for the table chairs, but warmth and love permated every nook and craney. Shou kicked his feet against their father's legs as he waited in Hizashi's lap. Despite his impatience, Shou's hazel eyes stared adoringly at Hizashi's matching set. The air around them smelled of sandalwood and saussurea, her father's favorite incense. Hinata breathed in the scent as she passed her father, and she suspected the last of the stick still burned atop the large cedar desk in Hizashi's study.
In the adjoining kitchen, Neji manuvered around Naomi to bring the last of breakfast to the table before sitting down to eat. Like Hinata, Neji had inherited Naomi's dark brown eyes.
"Mom," Hinata asked as she sat down next to the remaining open seat. "Do my eyes look weird today?"
Naomi wiped her hands on a towel and placed her hands on Hinata's cheeks to hold her in place. She looked left and right to give Naomi a good view of her eyes. "Your eyes look fine. Are they bothering you? I can do a proper examination if you're having trouble seeing."
Hinata smiled. Always the med-nin, her mother. "No, they just looked darker in the mirror. Must have been a trick of the light."
"I think they're beautiful," said a new voice.
Naruto flashed a sun-bright smile and swung his body through the open window with practiced ease. He gave Hinata a quick kiss on the cheek before plopping into the open chair next to her and filling a plate. Hinata blinked. Why hadn't she noticed a plate there before, and why was Naruto here? Happy as she was to see him, the familiarity of the scene didn't make sense.
"We do have a door, you know," Hizashi said with more exasperation than annoyance.
Naruto grinned. "Yeah, but the food is right here."
Naomi shook her head and laughed. "Don't you ever eat at your own house?"
"Sure," he replied cheerily. "But your food's way better than Mom's. Just don't tell her I said that."
Naruto's mother? Of course Naruto had a mother—Hinata visited their house regularly—so why did word sound foriegn to her?
"Hinata, are you feeling alright?" Hizashi asked, his bare forehead creasing with tension.
His question pulled Hinata out of her confusion, and she gave them all a reassuring laugh. "Fine. I don't think I'm fully awake yet. I nearly fell asleep while I was getting ready."
Naruto took Hinata's hand in a casual motion that didn't bother anyone at the table. "You sure? You don't have to come with me if you're not feeling well."
Hinata smiled and squeezed his hand in return. That's right, he'd asked her to help him find a present for his parents. "Really, I just need to wake up. I'll be fine once I'm outside walking."
Needing no more convincing, Naruto went back to his breakfast. Hinata's unease settled as she gazed at the people filling her table with joy and laughter. Her family at breakfast. Naruto joining them often enough they set a plate for him. This was normal and she loved every minute of it.
Naruto paused in his meal and turned to Naomi. "Hey, Miss N, you're a parent and you've been married a long time, right?"
Naomi nodded. "That would seem to be the case."
"Great, so what would you want your kids to get you for your anniversary? I keep trying to think of something, but nothing's coming. Today's the last day to find a present for my parents."
A devious smirk pulled at Hizashi's mouth. "Grandchildren."
Not even Naruto could prepare for that. He choked on his food and grabbed Hinata's tea to wash everything down. She didn't fare any better, though she hid her embarrassment with a hand over her face. Her parents chuckled at their reactions, while Neji looked disgusted.
"Hizashi," Naomi scolded, but there was no malice in her voice. She turned back to Naruto. "What were you considering?"
Naruto scratched at his blond hair. "That's the thing, Dad's hokage. What could I get them that they can't get themselves? Little stuff feels—I don't know—not enough."
"Then get them something they wouldn't get for themselves. With your father being hokage, they probably don't get a lot of time by themselves."
Hinata followed her mother's train of thought. "So, maybe a few days at a hot spring for just the two of them."
"That's a great idea," Naruto said, though he would have said that to any suggestion at this point.
"Be careful," Neji warned with a smirk. "Private trips to the hot springs is how you end up with a new brother or sister."
Their parents rolled their eyes at Neji, but Hizashi hugged Shou a little tighter nonetheless. Across the table, Naruto considered this.
"A kid brother or sister might not be a bad thing. It'd give Mom someone besides me to fuss over." Naruto turned in his chair to stare directly at Hinata, a smug smile blooming across his face. "It looks like you and I get to check out some hot springs today. I can't wait."
Hinata waited for her face to get hot with embarrassment at his obvious insinuation, but it never came. Of course it didn't. Why did she think she'd be embarrassed by anything Naruto said? It wasn't the first time he'd acted this way. It wasn't even the first time she'd acted that way. Neji had no room to complain since he and Tenten were just as bad, and her parents took it in good humor, showing the bare minimum reproach then sighing deeply. Today, they decided to add a hopeless whisper of "teenagers."
And yet, Hinata couldn't shake the feeling that she should be mortified to hear him talk that way in front of her parents. The confusion stalled her reply long enough that Naruto's smugness disappeared.
"Unless you don't want to," he said with an awkward lilt not normal for the overly-confident ninja.
"No." Hinata hurried to reassure him. "Of course I do. Though, we probably shouldn't try them out, or I might fall back asleep with the way things are going this morning." It was the only explanation Hinata had for the oddities she felt. Fresh air and exercise was what she needed to wake up.
Finishing off her meal, Hinata collected her and Naruto's dishes to take them to the sink. She had to pull Naruto's from his unyielding hands as he tried to finish all the food he'd grabbed. He always took more than he needed. If it had been ramen, she'd never have gotten him to let go. The childish pout on Naruto's face was priceless.
"Come on, don't we have hot springs to go see?" Hinata said, instantly cheering up her boyfriend.
Neji waylaid them with a wave of his hand. "You two going to make it to dinner at the lake with everyone still?"
"Of course." Hinata paused as the memory of their plans surfaced. It wasn't often all their friends were in the village at the same time, so it was nice to get together when they could. In summer, getting together at the lake was far more refreshing than a restaurant.
And with her memories came the preparations she'd made. "I forgot my bag. I'll meet you outside, Naruto." She shooed Naruto away from following her back to her bedroom and hurried upstairs. A bag with towels and a few necessities waited by the door thanks to the previous day's Hinata, who was far more awake than her present self. Present day Hinata hadn't even remembered she wore her swim suit beneath her clothes.
On her way back down Neji yelled, "And tell Naruto instant ramen does not count as his share of the food!"
Hinata laughed as she put on her sandals. "I'll make sure he gets something good."
Outside, Naruto leaned against the house with a sour look on his face. At her questioning expression, he asked, "Why doesn't ramen count? I brought enough for everyone last time."
Hinata leaned in to kiss him on the cheek, but Naruto took advantage of the motion to pull her into a proper kiss. At her request, he avoided making too much of a show in front of her parents, but outside was fair game.
When he pulled back, Naruto grinned a toothy smile . "Now that's how to say good morning."
She returned his smile and deftly extricated herself from his embrace, not that she didn't like it. Hinata loved the way he held her. In those moments, it was as if nothing in the world existed to him except her, and she relished every second of his attention.
But they had things to do, places to go. Not all would be close by either, so they needed to get moving.
"So," she drew out the word until he appeared to be listening. "Where do you want to check out first? I know there are a couple decent inns here in the village, but if it's to give your parents time to relax alone, we should probably start farther out."
Naruto scratched at the back of his head, a sure sign he hadn't thought about it at all yet. "You're probably right. If they were in the village, Dad would still be in hokage mode. You know any, though? I know where some inns are, but not nice ones that'd be worth a gift."
"I know a couple. Sometimes Kurenai-sensei will take us after a long or difficult mission, so we can unwind before returning home. The one I'm thinking of has both public and private baths. Depending on the price, it might be worth getting them a room with a private bath."
His suggestive smile returned. "A private bath? Maybe we should try them out. I'd hate to send them to a place with crappy baths."
Hinata rolled her eyes, but didn't stop Naruto from taking her hand while they walked. Such easy affection. Even though they'd walked hand in hand before, today it was all new and wonderful, as was her contentment. No embarrassed blushes or nervous looks to check who could see them. Not that she usually did those things, but for some reason this felt like the first time they'd been so publicly intimate. She wasn't about to let the moment pass, though, and leaned against Naruto's arm for that little bit of extra contact.
While they walked to the village gate in comfortable silence, Hinata took the opportunity to people watch. Maybe it was that nagging thought in the back of her mind to know who could see them, or maybe she simply had an idle mind today. Considering her small bouts of confusion earlier, it was probably the latter. A tired mind didn't care to over think her motivations.
Yet there was something unusual about the people. She couldn't quite place the problem. They looked like normal people going about their day—some entered the shops, others chased down friends. It was a normal morning in the village, but there was something different, too. If she could just place it…
"Naruto," an unfamiliar voice called to them.
Naruto waved back in greeting, but turned to Hinata when her body stiffened at the sight of the approaching man. Naruto brow knit together in a silent question, but Hinata had no answer. Why was she reacting this way? It was Itachi. She knew him given Sasuke was part of their class. That's when she understood the wrongness of the people in the village. Among them were those wearing the Uchiha family crest. But why would that surprise her?
After a moment, her questions receded along with the tension in her body. Maybe she'd had a strong dream last night and that's why the world seemed off. If it was a bad dream, it might explain her confusion and exhaustion all morning.
Itachi stopped in front of them, his gaze following Naruto's concerned one. "Is everything all right?"
Hinata smiled and waved a dismissive hand to both of them. "It's fine. I'm just a little out of it today."
Naruto's concern didn't leave his eyes, but he allowed the issue to pass. He squeezed her hand as if to remind her he was there if she needed him. The simple gesture transformed Hinata's half-hearted smile into a genuine one.
Itachi shrugged the comments off. "You're meeting up with Sasuke and the others later on, aren't you?"
Naruto nodded. "Yeah, we're all going to the lake. Care to join us? There'll be plenty of food."
"I think I'm a bit too old for your group," Itachi said with a smile that reminded her of Neji—a brother's smile. "Besides, I'm on duty today. Sasuke just said that if I saw you to remind you that instant ramen doesn't count as bringing food."
Hinata doubled over laughing at the echo of Neji's comment. Naruto scowled at her but decided better of it and scowled at Itachi instead. "I brought enough for everyone!"
After a few seconds to catch her breath, Hinata patted her boyfriend's hand consolingly. "We should get going if we're to make it to the inn and back before it's time to meet up with everyone."
"Inn?" Itachi said, eyeing them both.
"To get a present for my parents' anniversary," Naruto explained with a hint of disappointment in his voice. Hinata got the impression he'd rather be going for what Itachi's question had insinuated.
"Come on." Hinata tugged at Naruto's arm and started walking again. With a quick wave goodbye to Itachi, they headed out of the village.
The inn was far enough they needed to run, but not so far that they had to push themselves. It made for a comfortable trip and gave Hinata's mind time to wander. The day had been very odd so far—from her eyes to the village. Nothing terrible, and some of the strangeness was quite pleasant. That "new" sensation when she kissed Naruto made a routine affection into a delightful surprise.
But there was more to the oddities building within her. Something deep down that she didn't have the right words to name, but it brought with it joy and contentment like she couldn't remember. She wanted to know what it was, so she could hold tight and never let go.
For all the time it took to get to the inn, they stayed only a half hour to tour the grounds. It was as luxurious as Hinata remembered, and a part of her wished she could spend a weekend with Naruto, enjoying the private bath attached to the specialty suite. In the end, Hinata paid for half so they could get that room instead of forcing his parents to deal with anyone who might recognize the hokage. She enjoyed the fact that the gift was from them now instead of just Naruto. Joint presents were what couples did together.
Having kept a good pace on the return, Hinata and Naruto had time to spare before heading to the lake. Once they entered the village, Hinata settled next to Naruto, who took her hand again.
"Have you decided what you're going to bring since instant ramen has been resoundingly rejected?" Hinata teased.
Naruto nodded without betraying any hint as to what he planned. That in itself told her as much as any expression; Naruto normally wore his feelings close to the surface. She waited a few seconds more for him to elaborate before drawing out, "And?"
"And it's a surprise," he said, not taking her bait.
"You realize I'll find out when we go pick it up."
Naruto flashed a broad grin and winked. A flash of chakra later, two Narutos stood next to her with matching expressions.
Hinata shook her head as the new Naruto ran off into the village. "You know if you bring something as bad as instant ramen, everyone's going to blame me for not stopping you."
"Don't worry, they're going to love this. I promise."
"Sure," Hinata said dubiously, but she let the matter drop. "Well, I still need to pick mine up from the bakery."
"Bakery?" Naruto's eyes brightened. "Whatchya getting?"
Hinata turned on her heel so she walked backward in front of him and waved a finger in front of his face. "Uh, uh, uh. It's a surprise."
He groaned. "I deserve that."
The secret didn't last long since the bakery's packaging had a transparent top that revealed a variety of melonpan inside the boxes. He offered to carry them to the lake, but after sneaking one out of the top box, Hinata decided it was safest to carry them herself. He ate his prize unapologetically, but fed her half of the stolen melonpan along the way. It had chocolate chips in it and left a sweet tang on her tongue.
Blankets with food on them were already laid out when they arrived at the lake, and several dishes beckoned them with savory aromas floating in the wind. Far enough from the food that it wouldn't get wet, Sakura, Sasuke, Ino, Shikamaru, and Chouji were already in their swimsuits lounging near the edge of the lake. Everyone exchanged greetings, though all eyes were on Naruto's empty hands as Hinata placed her contribution on the blankets.
Sasuke narrowed his gaze at Naruto. "You went from bad food to no food?"
Naruto glared back. "My food's on the way."
"It better not be—"
"It's not instant ramen!" Naruto interrupted before his teammate finished the sentence. Then, muttering to himself, he stripped down to his swim shorts. "Nothing's wrong with instant ramen."
Hinata headed for the girls in the group, setting her bag down and grabbing a towel from it to lie on. As she pulled off her shirt, that disorientation hit her again. It had mostly disappeared beneath the unnamed, joyful feeling building up inside her, but resurfaced at the sight of her swim top.
She had the distinct impression that her bikini top was far more suited to Ino or Sakura than her. She wasn't one to wear something intentionally revealing, preferring one-piece suits. Except, she didn't prefer one-piece suits nor did she own any. The red and white halter top she wore was Hinata's favorite precisely because it accentuated her figure so well. One-piece suits were too modest. Hinata was confident in her body, so why shouldn't she show it off?
Naruto wrapped his arms around her bare stomach. His smile never faltered, but his eyes revealed growing concern. "You got that look on your face again, like you're not sure what's going on."
"I'm surprised you saw my face at all in this," Hinata said.
"I never said it was the first thing I saw." Naruto laughed and pulled her flush against him—skin pressed against skin. "But really, you okay?"
"I'm fine. I promise. Probably just need to eat. We haven't had anything since breakfast."
His mouth thinned and those beautiful blue eyes turned serious. "So what you're saying is I should have taken two melonpan so you could've one entirely to yourself. Right, let's go grab a few more before everyone gets here," he said, heading for the food again.
"Naruto!" The wrongness fled Hinata as warm, comfortable laughter filled her. She grabbed his hand and pulled him back toward the lake. "Those are for everyone."
"What are for everyone?" asked Kiba. He and Shino exited the tree line to put their contributions on the food blankets while Akamaru trotted over and shoved his furry body between Naruto and Hinata. Her four-legged teammate gave her a sloppy lick on the cheek in greeting.
"The melonpan I brought," Hinata clarified as she giving Akamaru the attention he demanded.
Kiba, already dressed for the lake, tossed a bag that appeared to have a change of clothes for later down near Hinata's. "You get them from that one bakery you took us to? Those were great."
"Indeed," Shino said blandly. Unlike his teammates, Shino wore a short, lightweight jacket and shorts that indicated he intended to join the fun but didn't want to freak everyone out by seeing where the bugs entered his body. Hinata and Kiba had gotten used to the sight of Shino's bare torso, but he didn't bother trying with the rest of their friends.
Shino set his own bag down next to Kiba and Hinata. "Naruto shouldn't be allowed any if he brought—"
"For the last time, I didn't bring instant ramen!" Naruto's huff only deepened when he noticed Kiba and Shino had cut off any opportunity for Naruto to sit next to Hinata.
It wasn't that her team disapproved of their relationship, but she'd been their teammate long before she was Naruto's girlfriend. They liked to remind Naruto that he didn't get to keep Hinata all to himself. Seeing as they were her best friends, it was only fair to let them have their fun. Hinata returned to her towel to finish disrobing to her swimsuit and settled down against Akamaru's soft fur.
"What did you bring then?" asked Neji, who approached with Tenten beside him. At a loud cry, both ducked to avoid a blur of green that soared overhead and cannonballed into the lake, drenching everyone nearby. Aside from a few glares, the group ignored Lee's antics in favor of hearing the answer to Neji's question.
Naruto closed his eyes and sensed the area around them. After a moment, a triumphant grin spread across his face. "See for yourself."
Not one, but two Narutos appearedm each carrying two large, insulated travel cases. The clones set placed the cases near the rest of the food before poofing away. Everyone waited expectantly for the original Naruto to reveal what could make up for instant ramen from last time. He fiddled with a case, and pulled out a large, cylindrical to-go container.
"I give you," he said, dramatically thrusting the container out for everyone to see, "ramen fresh from Ichiraku's!"
Every pair of eyes stared blankly at Naruto.
"What?" he defended. "You said no instant ramen. Ichiraku's is the best."
The group collected together, speaking in hushed whispers that Naruto couldn't overhear. When they reached consensus, Hinata looked at Naruto with seriousness in every line of her face.
"We have decided." She paused to draw out the tension. "Ichiraku ramen is acceptable."
Naruto raised his arms in victory. "Let's eat!"
Hinata relaxed into the comfort of good friends, good food, and great day off. What more did she need than this and her family? It was as if all the parts of her life had fallen into place. The strangeness of the day faded into a memory in the wake of such a wonderful evening. Only the new, joyful sensation remained, the one she couldn't yet name.
"You look happy, little sister," Neji said, swimming up to where she lay floating far enough from the others to not get caught in the ongoing water fight between Kiba, Naruto, and Lee.
"I am," she said, more relaxed than she'd been in a long time. "Something about today is different. I like it."
"Different?"
She righted in the water to better talk to her brother. "Yeah, it almost feels like I'm different or maybe it's how I'm thinking. Something's missing." Hinata thought about that last word and finally the name for that joyous sensation came to her. "No, not missing. It's like I've had this burden on me and now it's gone. I feel . . . free."
Neji's dark eyes narrowed. "If you felt burdened by something, you should have come to me. I'm always here for you."
"That's the thing," Hinata said. "There's nothing in my life trapping me, but today it's as if this is the first time I could simply do what I want, be who I want to be. It doesn't make sense, and yet I'm ecstatic. I want this feeling to last forever."
"Then let it." Neji tousled her wet hair the way he did when they were children. "And if you ever find yourself burdened, just tell me, and I'll help you get rid of whatever's holding you back. It's a big brother's job to watch out for his little sister."
She flopped through the water to give Neji a hug that quickly morphed into dunking him underwater. Laughter rang out once they surfaced. "Don't forget, Niisan, it's a little sister's job to keep her big brother on his toes."
After a few seconds, Hinata sobered. "But, thank you, Niisan. My life is exactly what I want, filled with all the people I love."
"And freedom?" Neji added.
"Yes. Freedom."