Disclaimer:
Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto.
Most of the dialogue comes from episode 148.

Moonlight Chapter 2
AKA How Hinata found a new appreciation for clothes.

Hyuuga Hinata, Kunoichi of Konoha and member of the Gennin team eight, was in a bit of a predicament. She was also stark naked.

That had something to do with her predicament.

She was crouched behind a tree with her Byakugan activated because she didn't dare to peek around the edge of her hiding place. Only moments ago, she'd been happily training on the waterfall that she could still clearly hear in the distance.

She'd been working on her chakra control…and yes, she'd been naked but that was only practical when one was training so closely with water. Anything she wore would have ended up soaked thanks to all the spray she was kicking up. And how would she explain that to Shino, Kiba or heaven-forbid Naruto? She was a terrible liar. Combined with her terminal shyness around her crush, she'd be lucky if she didn't just faint again.

Speaking of Naruto, what was he doing awake at this hour? Hinata hadn't known exactly who or what had fallen into the water with such a loud splash. She'd turned her head in shock and run away as soon as she saw someone facedown in the water. Now with her Byakugan, she recognised the cause of her flight all too well.

For once in her life, Hinata did not go red. Instead she went deathly white. Naruto-kun…Did you see me…? Hinata didn't think so. With the sudden clarity of one on the verge of a panic attack, the young Hyuuga noticed that Naruto was still just standing where she'd left him. He hadn't yelled out her name and she was certain he would've been quite vocal if he'd seen her… naked.

The near panic-attack receded at that oh-so-reasonable conclusion but left in its place a blush so strong she wouldn't have been surprised if the nearby forest had caught fire. Naruto had almost seen her naked. Hinata was mortified. She clutched her knees to her chest and hid her face behind her hands. That didn't do much for her since she still had her Byakugan activated and there was no way she was turning that off while she was naked in the woods.

Even worse than the near miss was the fact all of her clothes (and her ninja equipment) were on the other side of the waterfall. With Naruto.

Hinata bit back a whimper.

She couldn't go back to camp without her clothes. But if Naruto got back before her he'd notice she wasn't in the tent. Then he'd wonder where she was and that could only lead to Very Bad Things.

Hinata shifted her hands to hold onto her knees; she'd felt a bit silly, shielding her face when she had her Byakugan activated. She couldn't even find some comfort in the familiar gesture. Not to mention she could still see everything around her…including Naruto.

He was so still; he seemed more like a statue than a person. A statue with dripping clothes and an expression she couldn't decipher. Hinata frowned. Had he seen something? What was he doing there in the first place? Since he didn't seem to be going anywhere anytime soon, she rested her chin on her knees and tried to think it through.

Hinata liked thinking. She probably did it too much; if she was busy thinking, she wasn't out there doing.

Had Naruto woken up and noticed her gone? Was he out here looking for her? No, that didn't make sense. He hadn't called out her name or anything like that.

If he hadn't noticed her gone, then why was he wandering the forest? A few possibilities occurred to Hinata and any progress she'd made on controlling her blush went out the window. She primly decided why Naruto was out there wasn't really that important. Maybe he'd heard the waterfall and decided to get a drink…or go for a swim.

"Eeep." Hinata clapped her hands over her mouth and prayed she hadn't been heard. She also fought back the urge to faint using sheer force of will. She had some great motivation; if she fainted now, she'd probably wake up in the morning stark naked, surrounded by a trio of teenaged boys.

I will not think about Naruto-kun swimming…naked… Hinata's mind chose that moment to freeze on a mental image of both of them in the waterfall with no clothes on.

No! Bad Hinata! She shook the image away. Her thoughts weren't usually so perverted but she had been dancing under the full moon naked not that long ago. It was bound to be influencing her.

Hinata tried to focus her thoughts. She needed to get her clothes back. Her clothes were within spitting distance of Naruto. Naruto was not moving. Why wasn't Naruto moving?

If he'd just leave, she could grab her clothes and make a mad dash back to camp. With her Byakugan, she'd have an advantage over him in the dark, even if there was a full moon out that night.

Thinking of the bright moonlight made her cringe. Hinata seemed to have reached her limit on blushing that night. She must have been lit up like under a spotlight when she'd been on the water.

Had Naruto been so fuzzy headed with sleep that he hadn't noticed her at all? He didn't seem to have noticed her absence from their tent… If he'd seen something but not known what or who it was, wouldn't he have called out?

Thinking back, she might have heard something right before the splash but it was too quiet for it to be Naruto speaking. It had probably just been some other night noise. She admitted inwardly that the only thing she'd heard during her panicked flight was the blood rushing in her ears. By the time she found a hiding place, only the usual night noises remained.

Naruto still wasn't moving and it was starting to worry her. If she hadn't seen him fall into the water, she might have thought that he'd come out to brood about Sasuke, even though he'd never been the sort to brood about anything.

Pumping more chakra into her Byakugan, Hinata checked his inner coils. He's fine, she decided. So why is he just standing there?

For long minutes, Hinata echoed his stillness but after she'd squashed one too many mosquitos (with a slightly guilty thought directed towards Shino) she couldn't take it anymore. She was naked, cold, naked, tired, naked, frazzled, naked, mortified and naked. Enough was enough.

Naruto hadn't moved since she'd started watching him. He hadn't even turned his head, which might explain why he hadn't seen her clothes. Perhaps she could sneak over and retrieve them without him noticing? It was a good idea; she wouldn't have to race him back to camp if it worked.

If it didn't work…well that would be Very Bad. Caught Naked by Naruto-kun bad. That was right up there with 'Naruto-kun finds out how she feels about him.' Possibly worse. She really didn't want to think about either scenario.

Hinata lowered her hands from her mouth and took a deep breath. I have to do this, she thought and started feeling light headed as she imagined all the things that could go wrong. No, I wont back down, Hinata told herself fiercely. Remember your Nindo. Don't go back on your words. She took another deep breath to steady her nerves and started thinking of a plan.

The direct approach was definitely out. She could just imagine how that would play out:

"Close your eyes please, Naruto-kun! Why? Well, I'm stark naked and I need to get my clothes which are off to your right a bit. What am I doing out here with nothing on? Well I certainly wasn't dancing on a waterfall and playing around with chakra and water. Even if I was, I wasn't doing it naked. Not shy little ol' me. Plain looking, dark weirdos don't do things like that."

Hinata buried her face in her hands and suppressed the urge to groan. She wondered if her brains were leaking out her ears from all the stress. That would certainly explain why her internal voice seemed to have gone moreinsane than a Sasuke fan-girl.

Focus, Hinata, she told herself firmly and tried to think of other options. The little pep-talk didn't stop her from furtively reaching up to check her ears for escaping grey matter.

Causing some sort of distraction sounded like a better idea. If she could lure Naruto away, she could get her clothes easily. Just as she started to feel a bit more positive, she was overwhelmed by all of the weaknesses of such a plan. A big enough distraction to lure him entirely away from the waterfall would have to be noisy, explosive even. Something like that would probably wake up Shino and Kiba.

Her teammates would either immediately notice she was gone and quickly find her hiding in the forest stark naked. Or they would join up with Naruto, notice she was gone and quickly find her hiding in the forest stark naked.

Even if the distraction didn't wake them up, her beloved hyperactive ninja would probably do so while he investigated it. This in turn would lead –yet again- to being found in the forest with no clothes on. If she was extremely lucky, she'd be able to get dressed before they tracked her down. Either way, she'd still be forced to explain what was going on and then she'd quite literally die from embarrassment.

All of this boiled down to one thing. Big distraction Very Bad Thing for Hinata.

She immediately turned her thoughts to small distractions.

Perhaps something that would merely make him look away from where she'd folded her clothes? It could be as basic as a thrown rock or maybe some sort of genjutsu. Kurenai wasn't her sensei for nothing.

The idea had potential but Hinata didn't like it. What if he didn't fall for it? What if he looked around and saw her clothes? What if he guessed it was her? Naruto wasn't a genius like Shikamaru, or book smart like Sakura but he had a lifetime of pranking under his belt. Maybe there was someone out there who could pull one over on him but Hinata was sure it wasn't her.

That leaves me only one option, Hinata realised. She didn't dare to do anything to catch his attention, even as a distraction. Naruto seemed to be almost in a trance…perhaps that could be her distraction?

She would have to be completely silent while she worked her way over to his side of the waterfall. Then she'd need a Henge…or maybe a genjutsu to reach her clothes without being seen. The rock they were resting on was back beyond his peripheral vision, so it should be possible. As long as he kept gazing into space like that, she had a chance.

Hinata took a deep breath in an attempt to steady her nerves. It was time to act.

The next morning, Hinata was in a good mood.

She was sleepy, worn out and had some mosquito bites in embarrassing places but she was not naked. Her large coat had never felt so comforting and she was discovering a new appreciation for her ninja sandals. Even the weight of her backpack only served to brighten her day. Imagine, spare clothes within easy reach!

Composing haiku in honour of such a concept would've been a bit strange, so Hinata restricted herself to a content buzz.

It also didn't hurt her mood that Naruto was walking along within arms reach of her.

"Caught a cold?" Kiba asked the blond ninja after he sneezed yet again.

"Maybe a little," Naruto replied and yawned. Hinata watched him from the corner of her eye and felt a stab of guilt at how tired he looked. She felt like it was her fault for whatever happened to him at the waterfall.

"After all that sleep, you're still tired?" Shino asked with his usual lack of emotion. Since he was the leader for this mission, he was leading the way while the rest trailed behind.

Naruto had been the first one to fall asleep, even though he was the only one to complain about the early bedtime. Apparently he felt the need to defend himself and proceeded to explain. "You see, something incredible happened when I woke up in the middle of the night."

Hinata choked down on the squeal that tried to force its way from her throat. The resulting noise sounded a little like a sneeze. Her previously calm thoughts scattered like autumn leaves. Last night? Incredible? Naruto-kun, what did you see? If you saw me, why have barely glanced my way today?

"Do you have a cold also, Hinata?"

Hinata refused to lose control in front of Naruto, so she forced back her sudden urge to run screaming and instead calmly turned to look at him from over her shoulder. He sounded so concerned and looked genuinely interested in her answer. Just looking at him made her feel better. She smiled. "I'm ok," she said.

I'm on the verge of a nervous breakdown but you're looking at me with those eyes and I feel like I could defeat the hidden sound village single-handed...or maybe I could just melt into a puddle at your feet. Would you mind?

Kiba promptly ruined the moment by grabbing Naruto and demanding to know what incredible thing was he talking about.

Hinata wanted to smack him with a 'gentle fist' for the interruption and reminding Naruto of last night. But being Hinata she merely composed herself and turned to face forward. Part of her actually wanted to hear Naruto's side of the story. She herself wasn't exactly sure of what had happened at the waterfall.

"You see," Naruto began his explanation with his usual enthusiasm. "There was this ultra pretty girl in the waterfall."

Hinata's life flashed before her eyes. Naruto-kun saw me naked!

"When she moved her hand, the water was like 'ga'!"

Behind her, Naruto was gesturing wildly with his arms but Hinata missed it completely. The near melt-down of the night before had returned full force. At least this time I'm not naked, what remained of her rational mind interjected. This well-intentioned thought didn't help much since the damage was already done. Naruto-kun saw me naked! Why is he telling everyone? Naruto-kun saw me naked! Did he just call me pretty? Naked! Wait…ultra pretty?

"It was awesome!" Naruto exclaimed.

Did Naruto-kun just call me awesome? Hinata nearly fell over from shock. Wait…she thought. If he saw me, why doesn't he seem to care that I'm standing right here? Confused, embarrassed and verging on freaking out, Hinata clenched her fists in front of her and felt herself begin to sweat.

She didn't dare to turn around and watch when Kiba asked Naruto what happened next. Her face grew so hot she wondered if her hair would catch fire. Naruto replied with all the flair of storyteller sitting at a campfire.

"When I called out to her, she suddenly vanished."

Hinata blinked. For a moment puzzlement outweighed her nerves. Naruto-kun called out to me? She wondered if that had been before or after he fell into the water. Ever so slowly, her mind started to function again. He must have seen me but not recognised me, Hinata realised. The moonlight had been bright but it could also be deceptive, turning the world into an alien landscape.

How could he not recognise me? Hinata wondered with a sigh. This was depressing as well as embarrassing. Did Naruto even realise she was a girl? I was naked! She complained inwardly, how much more exposed can you get? She glanced down at the clothes that only moments ago she'd been silently praising. …oh. Right. That would probably explain it.

Meanwhile, Kiba was sceptical of Naruto's story. He thought he must have dreamed it all up. Hinata blessed his unwise habit of not looking at the world too deeply.

Naruto admitted to his own doubts and Kiba called him an idiot.

Hinata would've been a more cross about that insult if she wasn't busy trying to control her blush. Naruto had seen her but didn't know it was her. Kiba thought it was all a dream. Shino…Shino hadn't said a word. Did he suspect that it had been her but was keeping his mouth shut for her sake? Did he think it was just all in Naruto's head? His version did sound rather fantastic, Hinata noted. Had Shino even been listening? Maybe he'd been too busy communicating with his bugs to pay attention to Naruto's chatter.

Naruto-kun never actually said that the girl he saw was naked, Hinata realised. Kiba certainly would've reacted differently if he'd thought it was that sort of a story. So even if Shino-kun suspects, at worst he'll just chide me for training when I should be sleeping.

"Hinata, your face is red. Are you sure you don't have a cold?"

Hinata nearly jumped out of her skin when she noticed Naruto walking beside her. He was peering at her face with concern.

This did not help her control her blush.

"I'm fine, really," she told him, trying to hide her face. Her voice shook. If he touched her forehead to check for a fever like he had at the hospital, she knew she'd keel over in a faint. Her hands unclenched and she started poking her fingers together.

Could you not tell that I was naked last night, Naruto-kun? she wondered. What your view that bad? But you called me an ultra pretty girl, so you must have seen me… Hinata poked her fingers a bit faster at that thought and tried to calm down. She reminded herself that no matter what he'd seen he still hadn't recognised her. Maybe he was just trying to be a gentleman and not mention her lack of clothing.

Hinata peeked over at him. His eyes were nearly closed; he was probably still tired from the night before. At least he'd stopped sneezing. Hopefully she wouldn't have to brush up on her cold remedies after all. Naruto's face was relaxed and his mouth was curved into a pleased smile. The only thing that spoiled the peaceful picture was the thin line of blood trickling from his nose.

Hinata felt an eyebrow twitch.

Shino and Kiba were like brothers to her; she knew the signs of boys having perverted thoughts. Even Neji had his moments. And she had a good idea what or rather who these particular perverted thoughts were centred on. For the first time in her life, she listened to the devil on her shoulder, though in her case it was more of a slightly tarnished angel.

Part of her (probably the same part that made her dance naked on waterfalls under the full moon when she knew damned well that Naruto was sleeping nearby) might be happythat Naruto was daydreaming about her naked but there was the principle of the thing. So she screwed up her courage and spoke as innocently as she could.

"Naruto-kun," she asked, "why is your nose bleeding?"

I hadn't been planning on a second chapter but I got to wondering. During episode 148, how the heck did Hinata get her clothes back? I took a few minor liberties with the script but I don't think giving Naruto a nosebleed is too extreme. Besides, it's funny. :)

-Joy