Disclaimer Time

I, in no way, shape, or form, own Naruto or any of its characters and am certainly not making any money off of them through this fanfic.

Disclaimer Time Over

w00t.

Now, on to the fic and how to read it.

Generally, everything will be straightforward, but every so often I may insert a thought process in italics, kinda like they do in the show all of the time…also, more often than not I'll leave spaces in speech with a "…" in between them for sort of a pause for the character to think or just to break up what they're saying…well, I guess that that's about it for the rules on how to read it. So, on to the FIC!

A Day in the Sun

"Ok…I'm gone."

"Nani," Naruto exclaimed, "where the hell do you think you're going Shikamaru…Granny Tsunade just said that we're supposed to spend the day with our team…you did hear her or are your ears lazy too?"

"Eh…how troublesome…I already know everything I need to Naruto, being a Chunnin I already have access to all the Genin records and have already read them so I'm going home no…OW," he exclaimed as his explanation was cut short by a blow to the back of his head.

"Not so fast Shika…you'll be coming with me," Temari demanded with a smirk and a little mischief in her eye, "we've got some clouds to catch up on."

"Clouds…but I just want…," before he could finish his excuse Temari shot him another one of those glares that could cause the Hokage monuments to want to run away, "oh…right…clouds."

"Oh you act like you don't enjoy it," she scoffed as she laced her arm through his to drag him off to wherever they'd find themselves, "bye you two…we'll see you tomorrow," she added as she looked back with a smile.

Hinata let out a small wave at the two retreating ninja as she realized that she wasn't going to be spending time with her newly formed team. She was going to be spending time with Naruto-kun.

"I don't see how he stands her," Naruto muttered, still in a state of shock over the abrupt occurrence, "she's so bossy all the time and he always gives in…it's like he's sick or something."

"I think it's sweet"

"Nani? How so, Hinata?"

Naruto obviously didn't quite understand how Shikamaru and Temari's relationship worked yet, but Hinata had always noticed. Maybe it just needed a little explaining.

"They just compliment each other so well…umm…Shikamaru-kun is lazy and doesn't like to do things other than lay around and stare at clouds all day, but she challenges him and makes him do what he needs to…I guess it is like a game that's just between them."

"Eh…I still don't quite get it but I guess it kinda makes sense," Naruto responded, still quite confused but not wanting Hinata's explanation to appear to be in vain.

"Naruto-kun…since we," Hinata took a moment to let the idea sink even further in, "since we have to spend today together…umm…what would you like to do?"

It hadn't quite hit Naruto yet that it was going to be just him and Hinata now since Shikamaru and Temari had taken off on their own. He just kind of stood there in a daze at the thought because this was the closest thing to a date he had ever been on before, at least a one on one date.

"Naruto-kun?"

The sound of Hinata's voice tore him from his daze.

"Oh…well I know what I could go for right now…are you hungry?"

"Ramen?" she asked with a bit of a twinkle in her eye that Naruto didn't quite see.

"Yeah…unless you'd rather do something else…"

Hinata had always wanted to just sit with Naruto at Ichiraku and have lunch with him. It was such a simple thing but she didn't really care because just the idea of it brought her so much joy.

"I'd love to."

The smile this brought to Naruto's face was just beaming, ramen and time with Hinata, what could be better?

"Alright, let's go!"

Hinata couldn't help but giggle a little bit at Naruto's exuberance over Ichiraku as he started up the path, even though she wished that it was because of her but just seeing Naruto happy was goodenough.

An entire day with Naruto-kun and Ichiraku…I wish we could go there today…if we could go anywhere I'd want to go there

"Hinata! Are you coming?" Naruto shouted from nearly the top of the hill, thus dragging Hinata back to the real world.

She hurried to catch up as he waited for her at the top of the hill, evidently Ichiraku and his stomach had really motivated him to move more quickly than usual.

Their walk was fairly short but was almost totally encompassed by silence. As much as Hinata really wanted to she couldn't find anything to talk to him about and was hoping that Naruto would start being Naruto and use that loud mouth of his and start the conversation, but Naruto had problems of his own.

Naruto has three fears in his life, his friends learning about the Kyuubi that is sealed inside of him, ghosts because…well ghosts are scary and lastly Hyuuga Hinata. He couldn't explain why this one person could make him feel so warm and comfortable at one moment and then right after he opens his mouth scare him half to death. Kind of like the time he went to the training grounds right before the Chunnin exam finals and Hinata was there alone. After she told him that she believed that he could beat Neji, and with such a strong sense of belief, he was astounded with the feelings that flowed though him. He'd never had anyone believe that much in him before and truly mean it, but as soon as he opened his mouth about how he was really strong his heart sank in fear, in fear of losing her approval. Not even Sakura had ever had this effect on him and he just couldn't understand why he needed her approval more than anyone else.

In his ponderings and memories Naruto had lost all track of the outside world, he was just following his feet and the dark haired girl that he had fallen behind while trying to keep his eyes focused on the road before him instead of where they wanted to drift. Eventually it got to the point where hekept his eyes entertained by the clouds overhead.

Hinata was still struck with uncertainty. Narutohadn'tbeen actinglike himself ever since the night at the restaurant and ever since she woke up and he was in her room. She just wished that she knew what was going on in that blonde boy's brain. As they finally found their way to the top of the hill, with Hinata in front, she could see Ichiraku and turned around to tell Naruto that they were there. As she made the full turn however she felt a familiar body collide with hers and a familiar set of lips make contact with her forehead.

Naruto was in a state of shock. He was so caught up in his thoughts that he hadn't noticed Hinata turn around and he had run straight into her, again. The next thing he knew they were very close and he was kissing her on the forehead, much like he had done to check her temperature only a night or so ago. In a panic Naruto began to draw back to apologize.

"Hinata! I'm so sorry…I…I didn't mean…Hinata?" the cerulean eyed ninja said in confusionover what his 'victim' was doing.

After a moment of shock Hinata couldn't help but laugh. Not hysterically, more of in amusement than anything else. All of her nerves left with this laughter as the lavender-eyed kunoichi wrapped her arms around the even more surprised Uzumaki Naruto.

"We really need to stop running into each other like this. This could really be hazardous to my health and then you'd never get to see me out of bed if you keep putting me there," she teased him with a slight squeeze.

"Hinata? Are you ok? I didn't hit you on the head too hard?"

Hinata couldn't help but giggle at the expression on Naruto's face and the questions he was throwing at her. She wasn't quite sure herself at what had come over her. She just knew that she wasn't uneasy about being around him anymore. Maybe she had lost her mind but if this was the result of losing her mind around Naruto then she wasn't sure that she wanted it back. Yet as different as she felt at that moment she couldn't help but blush as well as she drew herself from his body.

"I'm just fine Naruto-kun…perfectly fine. You on the other hand sound like you could use something to eat. Besides, we're already here"

Naruto's stomach growled a rather angry growl at the thought of the meal he hadn't eaten yet.

"Yeah…we are…well how about we eat then…my treat!"

"Ok…but only if I get to pick where we go next and you can even choose the last place we go today."

Naruto wasn't used to Hinata making any kind of demand but he was sure that she would choose someplace great so he wasn't going to complain.

The ramen seemed to taste better to Naruto today. It might have been the new recipe that the owner had made but Naruto wasn't quite sure that was it. He was already through with his third bowl when Hinata had finished her first.

"Wow…that was really good," Hinata pronounced with a smile on her face.

All that came out of Naruto's mouth was a garbled "yeah" before he found the end of that bite of noodles. "Do you want some more? It's my treat after all."

"I couldn't possibly eat another bite, but thank you…Naruto-kun."

"Well I guess that'll make this my last bowl then…so what…what's up next?" he asked a tad nervously.

Hinata had almost forgotten that she had the task of choosing where they would go next. All she really knew was that she actually wanted to talk with Naruto since all he did was stuff his face at the ramen shop.

Where can we go…we can't go anywhere to eat even though Naruto-kun could probably still find a way to make room for even more food…I can't take him there as much as I really want to…

…and then it hit her…

…flowers!

"I know just the place Naruto-kun," she said with a bit of glee as she headed in the direction of the Hyuuga mansion.

As much as Naruto hated to admit it, he has one other fear that dwelled in the back of his mind because it came right along with Hinata. Hyuuga Hiashi. The one thing that Naruto didn't want to face right now was Hinata's father. He was lucky that Hiashi didn't know about how late or how often Naruto was in Hinata's room and the fact that he was in there alone with her. He also felt that Hiashi wouldn't approve of him because he, like most of those that fought with the Kyuubi, probably hated him. Naruto couldn't stand the thought of going to Hinata's mansion and it being just him and Hinata and not the large group that was there before.

"Umm…Hinata," he began after he paid their bill and caught up to the ebony-haired kunoichi, "where exactly are we going? We aren't going back to your mansion are we?"

"Kind of…I'm not going to tell you exactly. Let's just say that it's a surprise…ok?"

Naruto let out a heavy sigh at this. He really didn't want to run into Hiashi, even though he could use the excuse of Granny Tsunade's orders, but he couldn't take back his words about Hinata getting to choose where they went next. He'd just have to trust his luck on this one.

Hinata let out a little giggle at the defeated Naruto as he huffed and mumbled to himself, it was one of the traits that she admired most about him, he really didn't like to lose and yet she had disarmed him so easily and she couldn't help but wonder why. Did Naruto really want to not displease her that badly?

They chatted a little on the way there. Mostly small stuff and the occasional intrusion of Naruto trying to pry out the name of the location of their destination, it didn't get him very far until his worse fear appeared in front of him, the Hyuuga Mansion.

"Hinata, please tell me we aren't just going to your home," he begged as he visualized one of the many ways Hiashi could probably kill him.

"Why? Do you not want to go back to my room with me Naruto-kun, alone?" she asked with a teasing smirk.

"That's a loaded question if I ever he…"

"I'm just kidding Naruto-kun, but from here I'm afraid that I'm going to need you to take off your forehead protector and give it to me," she interrupted with a bit of guilt in her voice for even teasing him about it. She wasn't quite sure where it had come from. It just kind of came out.

"Why do you need my forehead protector? You didn't need it last time I was here…granted you weren't conscious then."

"I need it because I can't have you peaking…I said this was a surprise now didn't I?"

"I guess so," was all he could find to say as he removed his most prized possession and handed it to Hinata. Hinata, in turn, took the newly appointed blindfold and stepped behind Naruto and secured in place over his eyes.

Hinata began waving a hand in front of Naruto's face. "Can you see anything, Naruto-kun?"

"Nope…not a thing. It's as dark as pitch."

"Good…now follow me," she ordered as she started to walk away before realizing that Naruto wasn't following in suit.

"Umm…Hinata," he shouted, not realizing how close she was at the moment, "if I can't see you how am I supposed to follow you?"

"Oh…umm…well I guess that you'll have to…give me your hand."

Hinata didn't understand why these words were so hard to get out. She knew that she felt much more comfortable around Naruto than ever beforeand had even hugged him before going to the ramen shop but this was different somehow.

"Oh…yeah…that's probably the best way to do it," he said as he began to feel around for her presence.

Hinata slowly reached out and cupped his left hand with her right.

Naruto was amazed at how soft her hand was compared to his. It reminded him of fine silk, kind of like his favorite shirt he wore when he was really little and how soft and silky it felt.

Hinata's heart skipped a beat. As their hands met she was reminded of the time in the hospital after Naruto's fight with Sasuke. This time however it was intentional.

"Alright Hinata…lead the way."

"Hai," she exclaimed as she began to drag Naruto away from the Hyuuga mansion's front gate.

Naruto was now more confused than ever now that he hadn't heard the clang of the front gate. He was relieved that he wouldn't be facing Hiashi though.

Several minutes passed as they continued to follow the path that lead to Hinata's "secret location" and much of it remained in silence, except for the random "Kuso" as Naruto attempted to keep from tripping over rocks and dips in the road, until Naruto broke the silence with a question that he had been dwelling on.

"Hinata…I have a question," he asked with a little reluctance.

"What is it Naruto-kun?" she replied, hoping that he wasn't going to ask 'are we there yet?'

"Do you mind if we…umm…switch hands? I'd feel better and probably not step in so many holes or trip so much…if you don't mind that is." Naruto blushed a little bit at admitting his clumsiness and not revealing his real reason for wanting the switch.

"Sure Naruto-kun…if it really helps I don't mind." Hinata was reluctant to let go because she was enjoying the moment so much but relinquished his hand anyway after they stopped moving. Naruto began to feel around as Hinata moved around behind him. Eventually Naruto found the inside of her arm with the back of his hand and began to slide it down to take her hand once again. Hinata opened up her hand to cup his once again as the feeling of his traveling down her arm sent chills all over her body. As his hand reached her palm he began to search it with his fingertips until he found what he was looking for. Hinata was startled with this at first because she was expecting him to simply cup his with hers again but that wasn't the case. Hinata slowly parted her fingers and allowed Naruto to slide his in between hers. They fit so smoothly it was almost like putting on a glove. Naruto, still blindfolded, looked over at the slightly startled kunoichi and shot her a smile through his blushing while Hinata's face found a shade of crimson that it enjoyed that Naruto knew was there.

"That's much better," he said with a bit of relief, "now maybe I won't trip all over myself."

Hinata's blush was broken with a giggle. "Yeah…it is…now we should get going again. We don't have too much farther to go," she said with a small squeeze of the hand that was now interlocked with hers, a squeeze that was gratefully returned.

They continued on for another minute or two before Hinata came to a stop and regrettably released her hand from Naruto's.

"Are we there?" Naruto asked with a slight tone of disappointment from their disentanglement.

"Yes…yes we are," she sighed as she worked her way around Naruto to release his blindfold and allow it to return to its original resting place.

As Naruto's eyes adjusted to the change in lighting conditions he found before him a meadow filled with some of the most beautiful flowers he had ever seen. He couldn't help but just stare at it in awe.

"It's gorgeous Hinata-chan. I…I never knew that there was a place like this in Konoha," he uttered as he tried to take in all of his surroundings. The entire meadow was almost entirely covered with flowers of every shape and color he had ever seen. It was almost as if the flowers were glowing.

"Yeah, this is where I come when I want to be alone or pick some flowers to press…I like it here…it's so peaceful and secluded," she said as she stepped up next to Naruto.

"I can think of one thing that would make it perfect though," he said as moved behind Hinata. He then placed his hands on her shoulders and turned her around slowly and took a few steps backward. "There…perfect."

Hinata blushed a profound shade of vermilion and turned away at Naruto's insinuation.

Is this a dream…am I actually here with Naruto-kun and did he actually say that…I must be dreaming

"Hinata-chan…are you ok? I didn't upset you did I?" Naruto asked with concern as he approached the flushed kunoichi.

"No…you didn't Naruto-kun. I'm just a little embarrassed, that's all. No one has ever said anything like that to me before." And she was being truthful. Nobody had ever said anything quite like that about her before. That and the genuine sound of concern in Naruto's voice only made her blush even more. That was truly one of the things that she liked best about him because he rarely put himself before anyone else.

"Come on Naruto-kun. I want to take you to my favorite spot," she suggested as she boldly held out her hand for him to once again take. He showed no hesitation in grasping it this time, quickly lacing his fingers with hers. As soon as they were entangled once again she led him down a foot path to a small hill that was relatively empty of flowers but defiantly the highest point in the meadow which allowed anyone on top of it to view all that was there. Upon reaching their final destination Hinata found her usual spot that she enjoyed and sat down and Naruto followed in kind.

"Other than it being so beautiful why do you come out here Hinata?" Naruto asked as he finally made himself comfortable, "please don't tell me that you just come out here to stare at the clouds like Shikamaru."

"Sometimes," she replied, "I'll come here to pick flowers too but mostly this is my hideaway. I'll come here when I don't want to be in the house or just don't want to be around people," she continued, "and now that I think about it I don't think I've ever been here with someone else before," she said with a glowing smile and a nestling of Naruto's hand with hers.

They remained there that way for quite some time. Just talking and telling each other stories about their past, although not all of Naruto's because he wasn't quite ready to share that part with anyone just yet, and reminiscing about some of the things that they both remembered.

"Wow…we've been here for forever. The sun's going to be setting soon." Naruto announced as he realized that the sun was headed for the horizon.

"Yeah, we should probably head back before it sets. Father would be mad if I missed dinner," she said as she found her feet. Hinata, as much as she didn't want the day to end, had to agree with the blonde boy that her hand was still attached to.

"Well do you think we'd have time for one more place? It's not too far from your house so you probably wouldn't be late for dinner if we hurried and I promise that it'll be worth it," he begged, using his best puppy dog eyes.

"Ok…as long as we hurry."

And with that Naruto nearly pulled her off of her feet as he began to almost drag her behind him.

"Yeah, we'd better because we don't have much time left."

The two of them, hand in hand, raced down the path that had led them to the meadow and soon, as stealthily as possible, past the Hyuuga mansion.

"Naruto, where are we going?" puffed Hinata who was getting tired of running.

"It's a secret," he replied, "do me a favor though. Put your forehead protector on like a blindfold, like I did, and then I'll carry you there so we'll make it on time.

Hinata did as he asked and quickly found herself riding on Naruto's back. Soon she noticed that they began moving up a hill, a very steep one at that. After about a minute of jostling around on Naruto's back he stopped.

"We're here," he huffed as he allowed her feet to find the ground once again and turned her in the direction that suited him, "now you can put your forehead protector back."

Hinata removed her blindfold and it revealed to her one of the most beautiful sites she had ever seen and one of the things that she had always dreamed of doing.

"N-Naruto-kun…are we where I think we are?" she stuttered as she realized that they were there.

"Yep," he grinned, "I figured that it'd be the perfect way to end the day since you showed me your meadow I figured I'd show you my sunset and there's no better place to see it than from on top of the Hokage monument. Come on over here. It's really best if you sit and soak it in."

Naruto had already found a seat on the top of one of the Hokage's foreheads and motioned for Hinata to join him. She found her seat next to him. As soon as she found her seat he managed to slide his arm around behind her and pulled her closer to him as she used the opportunity to find a place for her head to rest on his shoulder. They sat there in silence, enjoying one another's company. Hinata, still absorbing the events of the day, couldn't help but think to herself…

How perfect of a way is this to end a day in the sun…

Rasengan2theface: Well…there it is…you'll either love it or hate it…frankly I loved it because I really think that's what might happen…one day she's going to be like…wow…I've been really stupid for acting like this all the time…or something to that extent…NEwayz…I'm sorry it took so long to get this chapter out…I've been writing and rewriting it over and over and changing stuff and then changing it back and then the other night I realized I was at a writing block because I couldn't think of where to go with it and then one of my wonderful friends suggested something and it made me think of something else that was so perfect I about cried…but basically she turned this chapter from 1,500 words to well over 4,000…granted it cost me a day of classes but I really think it was worth it and it also means that I can move on to training day/s and then the mission…well I off people so send me lots of reviews telling what you thought about this chapter and please oh please make it something I can respond to cause that's my favorite part…ok…now I'm off…WHOOSH to review land…later daze