Notes: Thank you so much for clicking on this story. I appreciate you!

If you haven't yet, I highly recommend that you read Misconceptions first before jumping in because this story picks up straight from the final scene:

He was smiling at her, a promise in his eyes.

She smiled at him, too, warmth blossoming in her heart.

He hadn't forgotten her. He'd come to find her...

The First Date

In the glaring light of day, Hinata's decision to have a one-night stand with the Hokage came to bite her in the ass.

Especially now since his hand was reaching out, palm up, obviously asking her to join them.

They all stood in the living room of Hinata's home and she was struck by how strange everything was. Her father was nodding his head and smiling at Naruto, respect for Konoha's leader evident on his face.

The Hokage, who had sought her out, was overwhelming her senses as she watched him with wary eyes on her approach.

He was still smiling at her, his gaze locked onto her face.

But her father had turned around to look at her, too. And Hiashi Hyuuga had the knowing smile of a parent who had found out a daughter's secret.

"The Hokage would like to speak to you, Hinata," Hiashi said, fighting his grin as he saw the blush that suffused his daughter's cheeks.

Obviously, something had happened between the two last night, but Hiashi wasn't going to pry into their business.

Only, he didn't want his daughter hurt.

He glanced back at the Hokage, who met his eyes briefly, but the understanding was there.

I won't hurt her, I promise, the Hokage's look assured him.

Hiashi nodded. "Why don't you guys take a walk outside in the garden?" he suggested as she slowly approached them.

Hinata nodded at her father and came to stand before Naruto, looking up into his blue eyes.

God.

Up close and in the morning light, he looked even more gorgeous—if that was even possible. He should have looked as tired as she felt, but no. He was clean-shaven and smelled of fresh soap, and his lips were quirked up into that smile she'd come to adore in the few hours she'd known him.

Smiling gently at her. Like he'd done last night.

And still holding out his hand to her, which left her no choice but to place her hand in his.

It didn't seem fair that such a man could be so beautiful.

But she was tongue-tied and hot because she didn't know what to call him. Calling him by his first name seemed so inappropriate when they were standing in her bright living room, next to her father in her family home, and not in the dark bedroom of his romance novelist of a godfather.

Or wrapped around the Hokage's body, she thought with another wave of embarrassment.

As if sensing her thoughts, his grin widened momentarily, but he attempted to compose his face into a more appropriate expression.

"Hinata Hyuuga," he said again. Then, in a warmer tone that made her melt, "Hinata."

It was just her name said simply, but her imagination was getting the best of her. She could imagine a different situation, a more intimate time when he could say her name again.

She gave a mental shake of her head and brought herself back to reality. Her father was still smiling at them and she knew he was enjoying this. Hinata threw him a quick, disgruntled look. He was supposed to be the gatekeeper, the one who was supposed to protect her from men.

But Hiashi Hyuuga wanted grandchildren and this was one way he could get it—by putting her in the way of Konoha's most eligible bachelor.

Who'd obviously come to find her.

Because something had definitely happened last night.

Her father answered her gaze with a shrug and shooed them outside. "Go. Go and have fun, you young ones."

So she inwardly sighed and dealt with the consequences of her actions from last night.

Hinata looked up again into the eyes of said consequences and came out with, "Hokage-sama."

He laughed and only shook his head at her. "No. We're way past that."

Which had her blushing scarlet again and also wincing because she knew that even though her father was slowly walking away from them to try to give them some privacy, he'd heard that last comment. It was obvious in the sudden break in his stride.

Hiashi was fairly skipping as he made his way out of the living room.

With her father gone, Naruto was fully grinning at her now.

Ugh. It was too much. She felt her body temperature shoot up again and was almost blinded by how bright and beautiful he was.

She squeezed her eyes shut. "I can't call you by your first name," she whispered in embarrassment.

He snorted with amusement. "You did last night."

"That was last night. Today's a new day," she said, still with her eyes closed so she missed the way his eyes lingered over her face and drifted down to the collar of her shirt, to the base of her neck where he'd marked her on her skin last night.

But she felt his hand grip hers more tightly and pulled her a step closer to him.

Her eyes flew open in surprise and met his again.

His smile never wavered.

"How about you show me that garden, then?"

So he held her hand while she led him out of the house and into the Hyuuga courtyard, known in all of Konoha for its beautiful landscaped Japanese tei-en.

They took the main path, the rocks crunching underneath their shoes as they started walking and he gazed politely at the perfectly pruned trees and listened to the bubbling of the spring. The early morning sunlight glimmered over the pond in the middle of the garden.

She kept silent and sent up a prayer of thanks that it was still so early in the morning that nobody was there to see them.

He must have thought the same thing because he stopped walking, suddenly grasped her firmly at her back, brought their bodies close, and leaned down to kiss her on the mouth.

Surprise had her gasping, her mouth opened under the onslaught of his lips. But her arms came up naturally to his shoulders and her hands were now at the back of his head and holding on.

And the best part, she was kissing him back.

She might not be able to say his name yet, Naruto thought with amusement as his lips continued moving over hers, but she sure wasn't shy when it came to answering the demands of his mouth.

He broke the kiss and looked into her face. "Okay, you can't kiss me like that and then not say my name."

She laughed. Then he watched as her lips formed one word, "Naruto."

Which made him chuckle and feel a funny little flutter in his heart to hear her say it for the first time this morning. "See how easy it is?"

His kiss must have loosened her up because she'd lost the stiff posture she'd had when they'd been in the house. She was looking up at him with wonder in her face, maybe asking herself why he'd come to find her.

He didn't know the exact answer to that question himself, but he'd known that he wouldn't have just let her walk out of his life without exploring this attraction that had suddenly sprung up between them.

But they were still getting to know each other at this stage. And he, meanwhile, liked saying her name and watching the myriad expressions that crossed her face whenever he said it.

"Hinata," he murmured again and was gratified by the quick breath she took, the widening of her eyes.

But it quickly disappeared when realization crashed over her and she became wary again. "You found out who I am?"

He had to be careful here, remembering that she had a tendency to bolt.

"Yes, Hinata, and this is going to be a long conversation so why don't we go find a bench and sit down?"

She nodded and pointed to the little tea house at the edge of the garden. "We can use that space over there."

She started walking, but he reached for her hand again and she looked up at him again with surprise. Unfortunately for her, she was going to find out that he was a toucher and liked to feel the intimacies of physical contact.

She glanced briefly at their joined hands and didn't try to pull hers out of his grasp.

Like last night, when he'd attempted to walk her home, Naruto matched his stride to her shorter ones and noted again how tiny this woman was. All he wanted to do was pick her up and carry her in his arms, but she probably wouldn't like that.

Someday, though, if she would let him, he'd like to give it a try.

But Naruto liked the height difference between them. It made him smile, made him feel manly as he held her hand in his, making him aware of how petite she was. Hinata was so dainty and so feminine, like a little fairy princess with her long dark hair and her expressive lavender eyes.

He laughed silently at himself, at the sudden sentimentality that he didn't know he had in him. He realized he was being a dork—or maybe he was finally admitting to himself that the years of not having a girlfriend was finally getting to him.

If last night had been any indication, this woman walking beside him could probably match him in the bedroom—and more.

And if she would agree to it, no more dry spell for him, he thought with private amusement.

He glanced down one more time at her, but she kept her eyes on the path and led him unerringly towards their destination.

They walked in silence until they reached the teahouse and sat on the bench by the wall, still holding hands—which should have felt strange considering he'd only met her a few hours ago.

He guessed this was just the way one-night stands worked, the awkward silences that followed the day after, but he wasn't sure since he'd never done something like this before.

She was quiet, gazing out into the gentle slopes of moss-covered mounds, then at the babbling brook that was one of the highlights of the garden. The bamboo shishi odoshi filled with water and clattered against the rock with a hollow sound, breaking the stillness of the morning.

Hinata didn't say anything, though, and maybe she was waiting for him to make the first move because she was probably just as unsure about this whole thing as he was.

"So you were planning on running away without talking to me? I know I was out of practice, but was the sex really that bad?" he said with a self-conscious chuckle.

She gasped with surprise, her eyes flashing to meet his gaze, a hand up to clutch at his sleeve. "No! Don't say that! I told you last night you were magnificent. The sex was good!" she said, trying to reassure him.

Then she looked more closely into his face, which was suddenly flushed but filled with a pleased expression.

She smacked him suddenly on the arm and frowned at him. "Damn it! You were just fishing for a compliment!"

Then she laughed when he started snickering, unable to hold his own laughter.

"I'm sorry, Hinata," he said as he reached for her and hugged her one more time. "I just couldn't resist."

Hinata.

She closed her eyes and felt his arms around her, appreciating him calling her by the right name this time.

It felt so much better than hearing him call her "Hi-chan."

And he couldn't seem to stop saying her name. She'd heard him say it so many times just this morning—almost as if he wanted her to know that he knew who she was, that she was his first choice and not Haruhi.

Which made her easily forgive him for teasing her because how could she not? When he was really magnificent, as she'd thought last night.

"So how did you find out about me?" she asked when they pulled out of the hug and he leaned back against the wall.

"Let's just say that I have my sources," he said.

He saw the worried frown on her face so he squeezed her hand to reassure her.

"I won't tell anyone, I promise. Everyone's secrets are safe with me."

She looked at his eyes again and saw how much he was eager to please her and the trust he was asking her to give him.

Hinata felt a little flutter in her stomach hearing him speak with so much sincerity.

"Okay, I guess I have no choice but to trust you."

The smile he flashed her was filled with warmth. "Yes."

They were silent again and they both looked out into the garden, heard the light wind rustle through the trees, the birds with the clear tones of their songs.

Naruto cleared his throat and Hinata looked up at him again.

"So like I told you last night, I don't really know how these one-night stands work," he admitted with a shrug. "And I'm going to be very honest, Hinata, one night is not enough with you."

Hinata melted and became even more flustered, felt the unbidden response in her as she remembered how enjoyable last night had been, too. She wanted to look away, but she couldn't. He was being truthful and she didn't know what to say to his blatant admission of wanting to spend more than one night with her.

She didn't know how one-night stands worked, either. And deep inside her heart, she suspected that she didn't want it to be just one night with him, too.

He was looking at her, still gazing perceptively at her face, trying to read her reactions and she realized that just as she'd thought last night, he really did have a habit of projecting sincerity whenever she found herself snared in his gaze. His eyes would flit to her lips, run over her face, gaze a few intense moments into her eyes, and he would say the most incredibly wonderful things that made her lose her breath.

Then she crashed back to earth when she realized that this was too good to be true.

She shook her head slightly.

No. Whatever this was couldn't possibly continue. She just wasn't meant for people like him. He was the Hokage of Konoha, for god's sake! He had other priorities. Bland, boring Hinata was not the type that attracted powerful men like him.

Besides, she would only be in his way and would hinder him from doing what he needed to do, and Hinata didn't want to become a burden to him. She had to try to explain the situation to him.

"I'm very flattered that you sought me out, of course," she began with a tentative curve of her lips. "But I just don't think it's a good idea to start a relationship—and it's probably very presumptuous of me to assume that you want to have a relationship?"

He tilted his head to the side and then smiled. "But I'm here exactly for that specific reason. Iwant to start something, to get to know you."

She shook her head. "Well, I don't."

His brows rose in surprise and he was quiet for a moment. "Okay, let's say that's true…"

She frowned. "It is."

"But why did you run away this morning?"

"I didn't run away!" she protested mildly.

He pursed his lips and squinted at her. "Really?"

She looked sheepish. "I was embarrassed because I didn't want you to think I had a habit of sleeping with men I meet for the first time."

"How do you think I feel? I'm the same! If you couldn't tell from last night, I just don't have the time to sleep with a lot of women."

His face was red, and she had a feeling that he was just as embarrassed as she was about this conversation, this whole situation.

But then she shook her head gently at him. She had to be the one to end this, then. "You're very kind to come seek me out, but I really don't think it's a good idea to start something with you, Hokage-sama."

Hearing her revert back to her formality with him deepened his frown. "Naruto," he corrected firmly.

Hinata nodded. "Naruto."

His lips twitched approvingly at her but she ignored it and continued, "Last night was meant to be just a one-time thing. Surely we could leave it at that?"

He reached for her hand. "Hinata, you really won't give me a chance? I came here to find you because I thought maybe we should explore whatever this attraction is between us, but you're turning me down before we can even start with a date." His smile became a little crooked. "Man, I must be really out of practice because this is not going as smoothly as I'd hoped. Because that's what I'm trying to do right now—very awkwardly, sorry. Anyway, would you like to go on a date with me sometime?"

Again, something like hope was blooming inside her chest, but she shook her head again. "I don't even think we should go beyond this morning. I told you last night that I'm not the type of girl that men seek out."

"Well, I disagree," he said, and the fierceness of his expression almost destroyed her resolve, but she had to turn him down and prevent him from getting involved with her.

Still, her smile was gentle when she said, "You really need to think more clearly about this. I mean, you barely know me. I just met you last night. I know you're the Hokage, but I don't really know who you are."

He frowned. "I see your point, Hinata. We only did meet a few hours ago."

Her taut body relaxed at his words. She was relieved. Yes, it was relief. That feeling that just passed through her. It wasn't disappointment at all. He was going to be reasonable about this and leave her alone then.

She smiled to take the sting out of her words. "Then I guess this is good-bye."

He shook his head. "No, I think you're misunderstanding the seriousness of my interest."

"Oh!"

He was quiet, but his gaze never left her face. The silence stretched on until she blushed and looked away.

Finally, in a puzzled tone, he asked, "Hinata, aren't you even mildly curious where this could go? Because I am. I'm dying to know you. What makes you tick? What kinds of things do you like? Or hate? And I really hope you don't say me."

She laughed.

Relief on his face, his hand brushed softly against hers. "Hinata? What can I do to convince you to give me a chance? To say yes?"

Oh, but she did. She very badly wanted to say yes. It was on the tip of her tongue to say she wanted to try, but she knew her place. He belonged to Konoha, to all the people who put their trust in him. Hinata didn't want to tarnish his light.

He belonged to a different world, a world where she didn't belong.

But it was so hard to say the words, to say no, to deny him. The hungry way he continued looking at her nearly went to her head because she could almost believe him when he said he wanted more with her.

But she was a practical girl and she chalked the fierce expression she'd seen on his face to her wild imagination.

So she broke his gaze, looked out into the garden once more, and resolutely shook her head. "No."

"Liar."

She gasped to hear his admonition, faced him, and saw again his darkened pupils before his lips claimed hers once more. Hinata couldn't hide her reaction because she sighed and opened her mouth when he urged her to.

Oh, god.

He shouldn't kiss her like this. He'd done it so many times already this morning. But Hinata just didn't have the heart to resist him when he was being this persuasive.

And goodness, he was a slow kisser today!

Last night, both of them had been desperate and urgent, there'd been no time to leisurely kiss and make love. But he was taking his time today, nibbling on her lips, tongue licking, and just invading her mouth. His hand was gently brushing over her neck, his thumb on her jaw now, fingers tangling in the hair at the back of her neck, cradling her head, and angling her face up to take his tongue in deeper.

Somebody moaned, and she didn't know whether it was him or her, but she didn't care, only continued to kiss him and cling to him in response.

Her words made her a liar because her body was pressing against him, her mouth refused to break the kiss and was now even urging him to continue.

It was working so well, this strategy of his to break her resistance down with kisses.

Maybe Naruto had a point. Maybe they should really explore whatever this thing, this sudden attraction, some more…

Because obviously, she was caving in and falling under this fog of lust, his strategic assault on her senses, of making her feel weak and melted.

"If we do this," she found herself whispering, blinking slowly at him when he finally tore his mouth away. She couldn't think, she felt drowsy and just so good when he was looking at her like he wanted to devour her again. "I want to take it slow."

His low, answering chuckle made her heated and burn up more when the fire smoldered in his eyes with his promise. "Hinata, we can be as slow as you want."

"Let's take it slow, then," she answered, finally giving in.

Even as the doubts inside her flared up, the thoughts that made her feel she wasn't good enough to be with this man.

But they disappeared just as suddenly when he laughed, and his smile, filled with exultant triumph, blasted away those doubts.

And Hinata couldn't help but smile back at him.

They walked to the only cafe that she knew would be open this early in the morning.

It was a small shop, but Hinata loved coming here. They knew her at this place.

Because the Hyuuga compound was so far away from the main parts of Konoha, the shops around the residential area were homey and intimate—the perfect place to bring a Hokage who was well-known throughout the land. Nobody would bother them here.

Hinata didn't want to broadcast their relationship to the entire world this early. Not when she was feeling so insecure about his attraction for her. She didn't know if she was worthy enough for his attention, with him so bright and wonderful, and powerful.

She slanted a glance up at him and he met her eyes with a hesitant smile. She quickly looked down again at their joined hands.

He'd held her hand so many times this morning that she felt like she knew every rough callus, every detailed whorl of his fingerprints.

"'Morning, Hinata!"

The cheery words greeted them as they opened the door.

Emi, the shop's owner, hid her surprise when Hinata walked in with her guest. She said nothing as she pointed them to the table by the window.

Hinata ordered her coffee black and watched as Naruto poured cream and sugar—more than what was wise—into his own cup. She ate her croissant daintily and grinned at him when he demolished his first one in three bites. She slid her extra plate toward him and he reached for hers with a laugh. The second one, he ate much more slowly, but it still disappeared with gusto. The third one, he tried to savor it, the way she'd just done with hers, but it was no match against his appetite. This one, too, was gone in seconds.

Hinata laughed and reached over the table to brush her fingertips at his skin, at the crumbs that had stuck to the corner of his mouth.

It was so quick and fleeting, that he hadn't had the chance to lay his palm over her fingers the way he'd wanted to.

She smiled when she pulled her hand back, turned to the woman standing at the counter, and called out, "Emi, can I get the menu again?"

Emi beamed at her and answered with a chipper, "Sure thing, Hinata!"

Hinata turned back to him with a twinkle in her eyes. "Naruto, I think you need more sustenance. As much as I love these croissants, I don't think they'll last you until lunch."

Emi came over, quickly looked at the empty plate before the Hokage, smiled then handed Hinata the menu.

"Thank you, Emi," she replied, but her eyes were on Naruto.

"I recommend the omelet. It's very good. The best in Konoha," she murmured as she slid the menu towards him.

And unwittingly drove the final nail into her own coffin.

Because Naruto suddenly realized that he wouldn't be able to go slow as he'd promised her earlier—not if she was going to be this thoughtful and attentive to his needs. Not if she continued to be this graceful and beautiful. And not if she kept smiling at him in that gentle way her lips would lift up as she sat across from him sharing this intimate breakfast together.

And definitely not when he felt this good, this joyful, when she was with him.

Already, he could see another morning spent with her doing the same thing. Maybe at his apartment, over his kitchen table. He could already sense her hugging him, kissing him as she waved him out the door so he could walk to work.

She'd asked him to keep their relationship low-key, but Naruto knew he wouldn't be able to. She was gorgeous and sweet. A woman like her could suddenly be snatched from under his eyes. Some other man might come in and sweep her off her feet, and just the thought of it made his heart clench with dread. He didn't want her to disappear so suddenly from his life again, remembering the disappointment he'd felt when he'd woken up earlier this morning and found her already gone from his godfather's apartment.

He gazed back at her beautiful lavender eyes.

He was sincere in his interest and he hoped that she would really understand his good intentions. He wanted to get to know her better, spend more time talking with her, find out what made her tick—well, that, and also have more sex with her.

He grinned to himself but it dimmed a little when her eyes shyly met his across the table and then she brought her attention back to the coffee mug in front of her. The silence stretched on.

He was suddenly filled with doubts, that maybe she didn't want to get to know him better.

Naruto sighed. This was complicated—and not what he'd been expecting when he'd knocked at her family's gates earlier. He found it a little bit perplexing and refreshing that somebody was actually rejecting him because he was Hokage. His previous experience had soured him to the idea that some women only wanted to date the position and not the man.

But he rallied and forcefully pushed his doubts aside.

No. He was not going to regret anything or second-guess his decisions regarding Hinata. He wasn't that type of guy. And she wasn't that type of woman. Even now, this simple act of sharing coffee and croissants with her simply felt right.

She wanted to go slow, but it was impossible—now that he'd gotten a small taste of what a future with her could be like.

He felt again the certainty rising in him.

No more doubts. The only way forward was to win her.

A predatory gleam lit his eyes.

I'm sorry, Hinata, he thought. I don't think I can keep quiet about us.

Hinata innocently sipped her coffee and puzzled over the fierce look that came over his face while he waited for his omelet.

He tried to smile as reassuringly as he could at her, but all the while, he plotted in his mind.

Still, though, to lull her into believing his promise, he did his best to hold her interest in him.

Usually, he let Shikamaru do the talking whenever they were at work. His advisor was smooth and smart, skillful in conversations. Naruto was quieter and preferred to observe what everyone did. He usually listened to what people were saying and would only interrupt when he needed to.

But this morning, he found himself talking more freely, asking about her and the work she did, the things she liked.

And she answered him in that melodious voice, occasionally lifting one corner of her mouth that way he remembered from last night.

She was nodding. "I love it. How could I not? I love being surrounded by flowers. There's something very calming about working with beautiful blossoms."

"How long have you been teaching ikebana?"

She took another sip of her coffee and thought for a minute. "This year is my seventh year."

Emi brought his order and slid his omelet in front of him. His stomach gurgled in anticipation and she heard it. She laughed and nodded in response to his, "Thanks."

This time, Naruto forced himself to eat slowly. He was determined to savor his meal because he wanted to prolong this morning with her. He wanted her to keep talking and waited anxiously again to feel her brush her fingers over his skin.

He took a bite and chewed slowly. "It's interesting how you and your sister both work with flowers."

"A family thing, maybe? With the Hyuuga gardens being very famous, I guess it was only natural that Hanabi and I would choose to work with plants," she said with a shrug.

He offered her a bite of his eggs, but she smiled and shook her head. "No, thank you."

"Despite you being busy with your job, you still found time to dance, enough to fool others into believing you're a geisha…" he murmured.

She almost choked on her coffee, but she placed it back on the table with a nervous chuckle. "That's a hobby. I dance buyou for fun so it was easy enough to fill in for Haruhi when she asked me to."

He smiled at her and asked, "So now that I know the truth, how long have you been dancing Japanese buyou?"

"More than ten years. Haruhi and I started taking lessons together from our grandmother. She was much better at it than I was, though, which was why she was recruited by one of the geisha houses."

"That may be, and I've never seen her do it, but I think I prefer to watch you dance."

A slight flush made her dip her head shyly, breaking his gaze. But when she looked up, he looked her in the eyes and said, "Hinata, I'm so glad you were there at Shikamaru's engagement party and I got to watch you dance last night."

Naruto watched the flush deepen and slowly climb up her cheeks. She looked at him from the brim of her coffee cup, smiled softly, and whispered, "Me, too, Naruto."

After breakfast, he walked her back to her place, and as he looked down at their clasped hands, his eyes noticed how their shadows on the ground were so entwined, it was hard to see whose was whose.

It was another sign that she belonged to him.

Before they parted at the gates, he leaned down to kiss her again. And this time, her palm brushed his cheek as he held her in his arms, making him sigh. But then she slowly let her arm fall to her side and he finally had to say goodbye.

He suddenly grinned at her. "Hinata, did breakfast with you this morning count as a date?"

She blinked and then laughed. "Yes, Naruto, it does."

"Slow, right?"

Hinata nodded. "Slow."

Notes:

What do you guys think of Naruto's question? In your personal opinion, did this impromptu breakfast count as a first date?

Because when I was explaining this chapter and the premise of the story happening over seven dates to Hubby, he insisted that this breakfast didn't count :(.

I argued that it does. Just curious what everyone else thinks...