Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Just borrowing the characters for a few minutes...

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Unconventional

-by Alena S. Anigor

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She was standing in front of Ichiraku, waiting patiently for him to show up.

He would usually be late, and he would usually startle her every time when he would seemingly pop out of nowhere; just a blur of orange suddenly appearing in front of her, making her jump and blush and stutter despite her Byakugan.

He would grin sheepishly at her and apologize for being late, always somehow having a valid reason for his tardiness. She would just smile at him and blush harder when he would either give her flowers he would pick somewhere on the way or when he would kiss her on the cheek quickly, chastely and blush himself.

She would order a bowl of ramen for herself while a few bowls would usually occupy his side of the table, earning a few snickers from other guests sometimes as he would try to talk to her amidst eating and chewing and blowing at his hot noodles.

That would earn him mixed reactions from others; Shikamaru would usually stare at him indifferently and Ino would frown in disgust at his table manners (or the lack of), Chouji wouldn't really mind, because he would drool at the amount of food on the table, gazing miserably at his empty bag of potato chips.

Lee and Gai would show him a thumbs up with a brilliant row of teeth that would sometimes require wearing sunglasses while Tenten and Neji (who would be forced to tag along to celebrate youth for some inane reason at the ramen stand) would just gape at him; Tenten in amazement and Neji with a frown, obviously disapproving of his cousin's choice to date the most harebrained creature that ever walked the face of the Earth. Sakura would just look at her sympathetically and shrug inwardly.

But, Hinata thought it was rather amusing and found his little quirks adorable.

Later, they would go for a walk, her staring at him in awe as he would often talk about his missions, his voice booming so everyone in five miles radius could probably hear him, his trademark grin never leaving his face.

When he would finally finish (remembering that there was someone else walking next to him who had a tongue and the ability to talk) he would politely ask her about her day and look at her inquiringly, the bright blue of his eyes intensified by the sun and his unruly, blond hair.

She would stare at him some more until she would realize that he had asked a question and that she should say something, which would often start and end with:

"A-ah...the, the usual..."

Which was in fact, the truth – she never really had much to tell about herself or her day. Compared to his life, missions and adventures, her duties and her days seemed boring, insignificant. Maybe that was the reason why she enjoyed his company so much. He had brought Excitement and Rhythm in her dull life. She felt alive while walking next to him, listening to his voice and secretly admire the energy in every step and movement he made.

They would sit on the bench and watch the sunset together in silence for a while, but that wouldn't last for long because he couldn't remain silent for too long and would usually start a conversation about this or that.

And she would listen. And she would nod in agreement and smile at the way his eyes would brighten and his arms would flail and convey his thoughts and feelings more.

He would stop talking eventually and silence would ensue again, but not an uncomfortable one. She would look at him shyly from the corner of her eye and see him looking at the sun somewhat thoughtfully, his eyes slightly distant and far away.

She knew there existed things that not even he could comprehend or solve; things out of his control, things that had left scars on his body and soul, too.

Slowly, she would lean into him, her shoulder touching his. Her delicate hand would hesitate for a moment before settling on top of his, trying to chase away the demons from his soul and shadows from his face somehow. It was the best she could do for now.

He would snap out of his stupor and look at her with a smile, his eyes softening slightly while looking at her ashy ones and she would sigh in content, living for such precious moments spent with him.

But, the evening would come and she would have to go home.

He would walk her back home, stopping in front of the Hyuuga residence, always glancing at the front gates. He knew, as well that her father didn't really approve of their relationship. Not that he cared much about it, but he didn't want her to get in trouble because of him.

She would turn around and look at him, noticing the moonlight illuminating his face and eyes and hair and making him look so handsome. She was sure she didn't look so pretty, until she would catch him staring at her in awe, her eyes and hair glowing in the moonlight, making her look almost surreal.

She would blush again as he would lean down to give her a small peck on the lips, quickly withdrawing as if unsure if that was appropriate and if he was allowed to do that in the first place.

He would grin sheepishly at her, scratching the back of his head, a tiny blush visible on his face, as well.

"Ah, well...uhm, good night!" He would splutter, while she would still be under the impression of his kiss. She would just nod dreamily at him, misty-eyed and wave at his retreating figure slowly.

She would greet her father politely once inside the house and go to bed, avoiding the sharp look in his eyes and somewhat amused look in Neji's.

She would sigh and smile in the darkness of her room, glancing outside at the moon, her lips still tingling faintly. She would close her eyes and smile in her sleep as she would dream of him.

She knew their relationship could be described as unconventional and they as the unlikely, mismatched couple but deep down inside, under the surface, she knew he was just what she needed to make her life feel complete.

And as he whirled in front of her suddenly, swept her off her feet and made her squeak at the action, she gaped at him in wonder, finding herself seated behind one of the tables at Ichiraku, with other guests watching them in amusement.

He yelled his order to the waiter (who probably knew his choice of food by heart now) and then looked at her, grinning at her astonished expression.

"I'm starving! What'll you have?"

She blinked and nodded at the waiter who already knew what to bring.

Yes, they certainly were the most unconventional couple around. But, she realized as he started arguing with Kiba over some inane thing, she wouldn't want it any other way, anyway...

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a/n:

This was written for azariathedreamer who requested a NaruHina fic. Btw, Az - I sent you a private message via FF-net but since you didn't reply, I assume you don't have the option enabled? That way I didn't know what you wanted the fic to be about so I just pulled this out of the sleeve!

I hope you like it, though :)

Augh, it's midnight here and I'm sleepy and my eyes hurt!

: drags herself to bed :