Naruto glanced nervously at Hinata.
"You like it?" he asked. "I mean, I've had long hair since forever and now I've cut it and people keep telling me it looks funny on me."
"You look fine, Naruto-kun," Hinata said reassuringly. "It won't hang in your eyes anymore, and it's as soft as ever – "
She stopped abruptly, eyes widening like a deer in headlights. Naruto rambled on without a care in the world.
"Really? Thanks, Hinata. I'll cut my hair whatever length you like! And you look amazing with long hair too! You looked cute before, but now you're really beautiful and your hair looks so silky, ya know?"
Hinata looked like a fish flopping around on land...which is to say, completely out of her element.
They were both totally oblivious to their friends staring at them from a distance.
Tenten turned back to Team 7 and Team 8. "Are you sure they're not together?"
"No, they're definitely not," said Sakura resignedly, sticking a roll of sushi into her mouth.
"Wow, you must be new to this whole thing, Tenten," Kiba said with more than a touch of irritation.
"Hinata and Naruto should be in a relationship by now, but for reasons unfathomable to all of us, they are not," Shino deadpanned.
"But they've been going on about how amazing the other person is for the past hour," Tenten said incredulously. "Who even talks that way unless it's about their lover?"
"Sakura, we have to do something about this," Ino said, slamming her fist onto the table. "They've been dancing around each other for months. It's like they're so close, but so far at the same time. It's...it's not good for them. I'm not saying this because I want to meddle, but because I'm worried about them."
"Ino, I think we should leave them be," Shikamaru mumbled, stirring his tea with a spoon. "Let them take their own time and do what's best for themselves."
"I think Shikamaru's right," Chouji said sagely. "A meal is best when it's savored for a long time."
He had finished the entire meal within ten seconds of getting his order. Tenten gaped at him.
"I agree with Ino-san!" Lee exclaimed. "We must help Naruto-kun and Hinata-san blossom and reach the springtime of their youthful love together!"
Kiba and Shino looked horrified. Tenten looked like she was going to throw up.
"Lee...that was the creepiest springtime of youth dialogue I have ever heard in my life," she said queasily.
Lee looked confused, like he had no idea why helping friends "blossom" and "reach the springtime of youthful love" could be considered creepy.
Sakura sighed. "Okay, listen, I'll talk to Hinata about this. I think it's best if it's just me who talks to her and not everyone at once. Let's not overwhelm her."
They all stared pointedly at Lee.
"I...I understand," he said sadly.
The winter that befell Konoha that year was unusually severe. Torrents of snow coated the heads of the Hokage Monument white and draped the ground like a carpet. The sun would twinkle coldly down on the world in the daytime sky, while the moon would hang heavily in the night sky, magnified far beyond its usual size.
Hinata was just leaving a clothing store, a ball of yarn tucked safely in a bag.
Sakura spotted her almost instantly and ran towards her.
"Hinata!"
Hinata turned towards her with a smile. "Hello, Sakura-san!"
Sakura's eyes focused on the bag in Hinata's arms as she noted the store that she had just left. She couldn't help the jolt of pleasant surprise that struck her body. Maybe her self-assigned task wouldn't be so difficult after all, if Hinata was taking the initiative…
"You're knitting something? What a surprise!"
"Yes, I'm making a scarf."
Yes, yes, yes, go Hinata! a tiny, long-suppressed fragment of Inner Sakura cheered.
She looked sideways at Hinata with a knowing smile, her hand on her chin. She leaned in closer, not even bothering to conceal her happiness.
Hinata smiled awkwardly. "Wh-what are you doing?"
"Go for it, Hinata!" she said, grasping Hinata's shoulders in a very Hanabi-esque fashion.
"What?"
"It's a present for him, right?"
Hinata's cheeks turned a pretty pink.
Yep, it was finally happening. Sakura grabbed Hinata's arm and dragged her away.
"S-Sakura-san? Where are we going?"
"I'm in the mood for some dango. What about you?" she asked sweetly.
"Oh...all right," Hinata said. Sakura frowned. She'd need to stamp out the hesitancy in Hinata's voice by the end of this little excursion.
Sakura led Hinata to the same cozy eatery she liked to frequent with Ino. Anmitsu with shiratama dango toppings and their special fruit jelly in this weather...Sakura's mouth watered in anticipation.
A pleasantly plump woman smiled down at Sakura as they entered the shop, the same way Teuchi would smile at Naruto.
"Oh, if it isn't Sakura-chan today! Usually I see you with Ino-chan, but you've brought in..."
She looked inquisitively at Hinata.
"Hyuuga Hinata," she said politely, bowing her head.
The lady's eyes crinkled as she smiled. "There's no need for such formalities here, Hinata-chan. Please make yourself at home."
"Can we have two anmitsu with your secret recipe, oba-san?" Sakura called out to the retreating woman's back as she and Hinata took a seat and removed their jackets.
"Coming right up!" the shop owner yelled back.
Hinata smiled. "I must say, it's a shock not seeing you at Ichiraku."
Sakura laughed. "Kiba and Shino thought the same thing, but not all of us are ramen freaks. Though I've heard that you've forced Naruto to add some variety to his diet," she said, winking.
Hinata looked puzzled. "What do you mean, Sakura-san? I haven't forced him to do anything."
"C'mon, Hinata, take some credit for yourself!" Sakura said. "He's eating vegetables just because you asked him to! Do you know how rare that is? He didn't eat vegetables even when we were all genin. Kakashi-sensei had to camp out at his window every other morning to force him to! And he said he'd cut his hair to whatever length you want. Do you know what happened when Ino suggested that? Nothing. He let it grow into a rat's nest. And you went and told him that you like short hair, and bingo, he keeps it short! He's doing so many things to accommodate you! Don't you see it? He's very fond of you."
Hinata just continued to stare at her in a nonplussed manner as their orders arrived.
Sakura sighed and took a bite of dango.
"Never mind. How are you doing? My life has gotten really hectic lately, running things for Tsunade-shishou at the hospital."
"Things are going very well for me," Hinata said happily. "I've been getting some very high-paying missions and I'm helping my little sister with her jyuuken training..."
"Sometimes I wish I had a sibling," said Sakura with a touch of envy. "What's it like to be a big sister?"
"Oh, well, it's a big responsibility. You always have to look out for your little sister and protect her. And you have to do your best to put up with her teasing and pranks. And she never listens to you when you tell her not to do foolish things..."
Sakura burst out laughing.
"Hmmm, what's the matter, Sakura-san?"
"It's nothing," Sakura said, shaking her head. "It's just...I think that I know what you're talking about after all."
"You do?" asked Hinata.
"Yep." Sakura leaned in closer. "And I know just how to deal with people like that: be forward and blunt."
Hinata tilted her head sideways at Sakura like a confused kitten.
"I'm afraid I don't know whom you're speaking of, Sakura-san," she said.
"Hinata, I swear you're just as oblivious as he is! I'm talking about Naruto!" Sakura fixed Hinata with an intent look. "The best way to deal with a knucklehead like him is to beat things into his head so that he learns whatever lesson you want to teach him."
"Are – are you sure of that?" Hinata asked quietly.
Sakura nodded.
"Just make sure he gets the message, no matter what. And don't let him divert the conversation to ramen," she said, shuddering at the memory of Naruto saying that life without Hinata was like ramen without broth.
"Divert the conversation to ramen?"
"I don't think he knows what love really is," she clarified, or rather, didn't clarify.
"What do you mean?"
"I don't know if he knows the difference between the love of a food like ramen or shiratama dango, and romantic love towards a person."
"W-what?"
"He just needs the difference beaten into him. That's all! Just take the lead and everything will fall in place!" Sakura said assuredly, palming her fist.
"I...um...okay..." Hinata mumbled.
Maybe being forward and blunt was a good way to deal with Hinata too?
"He's become so popular lately," Sakura said.
Hinata seemed to shrink in on herself.
"R-really?"
"Other villagers come here just to take photos of him!"
Hinata mumbled a non-committal, "Oh."
"Don't just say 'oh,' finish that scarf!" she pushed.
"Oh..." Hinata caught herself at the last moment and injected a bit of force into her voice. "Sorry, okay."
"C'mon, be more confident! Be bold!"
"Sure."
Was the forceful and blunt treatment a mistake? Hinata looked like a frightened little bunny. Sakura felt a pang of guilt. She was supposed to be encouraging Hinata, not scaring her away by mentioning potential competition.
She got up and wrapped her arm around Hinata.
"Listen," she said comfortingly. "Just...just do your best and Naruto will cherish your present. I'm sure of it."
Hinata smiled softly.
"Thank you, Sakura-san. I really appreciate you."
They both paid up and set off together.
A/N: Thanks for the reviews Iwik, VeAryaMuse, starfiction123, Lila08 and Princess Hinashi.
Do you know that it's harder for me to write the scenes from the movie and make them new and interesting for readers than make up my own scenes? This chapter and the next one were a bit tougher to write. Luckily, in the movie, Naruto and Hinata spend tons of time together and not all of it is a blow-by-blow account, so I get lots of stuff to play with. :)
Also, you may not know this, but the scarf that Naruto got from Konohamaru in the movie actually appears in Naruto Shippuden episode 423. It's in the box that Konohamaru stores Naruto's old jacket in during the Pain attack. It's true. :)