A/N: Well, you guys are definitely going to love this chapter for a variety of reasons, but don't take MY word for it. Decide for yourself :)

Time for chapter 9

Enjoy!

Hinata straightened her clothes and took a deep breath. By this point, she was well used to interacting with Naruto for extended periods of time, and it was no longer legitimately stressful, but she still felt self-imposed pressure to be her best self in his presence. Both physically and mentally. Her outfit was as it always was, with a slightly oversized cream-color jacket, basic pants, sandals, and undershirt. She had considered abandoning the jacket due to the seasonal heat, but her still-lacking self confidence prevented her from actually following through on the idea.

The heiress then knocked on Naruto's door three times, as was the standard procedure she had been taught at a young age. No direct answer came, but she was given a muffled verbal welcome, which she took as permission to open the door and enter his apartment. Once inside, she scanned the interior for her classmate. Initially, she found no sign of him. It wasn't until roughly two minutes had passed before he came into view. He emerged from the singular hallway in the dwelling where she assumed his bedroom lay wearing a set of pajamas disheveled head of hair. He had been sleeping, from the looks of things.

"Sorry for the wait. Dragging myself out of bed always takes a while." he said through a yawn. Hinata smiled at the sight and watched Naruto slowly lumber over to the kitchen counter, which he leaned himself against for support. He looked marginally less sickly than he had the day before, and his headache seemed less cripplingly painful if his demeanor was any indication. He also appeared to have taken her advice in regards to getting extensive amounts of sleep.

"No problem at all. I should be apologizing, really. It seems I woke you up." the Hyuga girl replied jovially, her mood lifted somewhat by the sight of a slightly-recovered Naruto. The blonde nodded and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He was still quite groggy, which Hinata found extremely endearing.

"No stutter at all, huh? Guess that problem is solved." Naruto commented with a sleepy smile. The heiress scratched the back of her head, a subconscious habit she had unknowingly taken from her classmate.

"Don't jinx me. I might start up again. For now, though, I feel very comfortable speaking with you. I'm...still getting there with other people." she admitted. Naruto removed his weight from the kitchen counter and stretched.

"You'll get there. That sorta thing takes time, I think. And hey, I'm glad that I get to see it, at least. You've got a nice voice." he said. The compliment pleased Hinata greatly, and unlike previous occasions, she was able to control the heat in her cheeks.

"I'm glad you think so. If I have it my way, you'll be hearing it lots." she said happily, earning a ragged laugh from Naruto.

"You're getting braver everyday. And yeah, I'd like that. I'll be back in class by next week, so you won't have to play babysitter for a whole lot longer." he said, covering his mouth to cough a few times after finishing his sentence. Hinata shook her head and walked past him to the dining table.

"I asked to take care of you, and I'm going to follow through. Any excuse I can use to help you, I'll take." she said as she set out a pair of small boxes on either side of the table. The blonde frowned and made his way to her side.

"What's all this stuff?" he asked curiously. The heiress sat herself down on the leftmost chair of the table and gestured to the seat opposite her.

"Don't you remember, Naruto-kun? I said I would bring you food last night. I like to keep my promises." she reminded him while she opened her small bento. Naruto did as he was being directed to do and sat down across from Hinata. He then skeptically opened the bento and studied its contents carefully.

"It's ramen with some rice mixed in. A few other things too. I figured you'd be hungry, so I made extra for you." the heiress informed him as he poked at it with his chopsticks. With the identity of his food revealed, Naruto took a bite of it. Hinata watched him chew with baited breath. She had been a tad bold when it came to spices, and she knew little of her classmate's culinary preferences. After a few moments of judgement, the blonde grinned, much to her relief.

"Never really had anything like this, but man, that's really good. You making me actually like rice probably should've tipped me off, but you're a great cook." he complimented her, taking another sizable bite of his food in between sentences.

"If you'd l-like, I could cook f-for you more often." Hinata offered, sighing heavily at the two small slips she had suffered while speaking. The blonde nodded rapidly.

"That'd be awesome. You don't have to, but I'd definitely eat anything you make." he said eagerly. Hinata merely nodded, not trusting herself to not stutter horribly so soon after such a personally gratifying compliment. Noticing this easily, Naruto tilted his head to one side.

"Did I freak you out or something? You're looking kinda shell-shocked." he asked. The heiress sighed and shook her head before sampling her own food.

"Compliment a girl on her cooking, and you're bound to make her very happy, Naruto-kun." she said quietly. The pair then ate in comfortable silence for a few minutes before they both finished their meals and pushed the boxes to the center of the table.

"Thanks for this, Hinata. Eating with you is always nice. Especially when it's stuff you made." the blonde said gratefully. Though she was extremely pleased with his appreciation of her cooking and her company, Hinata still found herself slightly disappointed by something.

"I'm glad you feel that way, but do you need space? Sleep is extremely important for you right now." she asked. Much to her dismay, the blonde nodded reluctantly.

"Yeah, probably. I'd like to talk more, but my head is really killing me. I'm just used to it at this point." he said honestly, clearly saddened by the reality of his physical condition. Just as Hinata began to stand up to gather her things, however, Naruto continued speaking.

"There's something I wanna give you, though. Wait where you are." he said vaguely before disappearing into the hall from whence he had come. After a minute of audible rummaging and rearranging, he returned. He was holding a small object in his left hand, and he was clearly trying to conceal it from her view. Deciding to let it be a surprise, the heiress patiently waited for him. When he settled in front of her, he held it out. Hinata then observed it fully for the first time. When she realized what it was, her heart melted.

"I know it's sorta dumb-looking, but I tried my best. You don't have to keep it if you don't want it." Naruto said self-consciously as he held out a small, origami rendition of Hinata herself. It was shockingly well-made, and it was colored to match her hair-color, and her usual outfit. He had even drawn a surprisingly faithful sketch of her face onto the head, though it was slightly cartoonish. The heiress carefully accepted it into her hands and marveled at it.

"Like I said, you don't have to take it." the blonde said quietly, causing Hinata to turn her head up from the origami. Naruto's eyes were staring down at the floor, and his posture radiated the opposite of confidence. He was nervous, and he appeared disappointed with himself. Hinata's reaction to this was instant and entirely automatic. She set the origami down, reached forward, cupped the sides of his face, and lifted it up to meet her gaze. Before he could react, she pressed her lips to his and closed her eyes. The bold gesture drew an uncharacteristic squeak from Naruto, who simply stood stiffly as Hinata kissed him.

When she pulled her mouth from his, Hinata left her forehead to rest on his gingerly. Slowly wrapping her arms around the back of his neck, she smiled warmly.

"It isn't dumb-looking, and I'd be honored to take it. You're such a sweet boy, Naruto-kun." she said sincerely. When he didn't immediately respond, the heiress realized what she had just done. Sighing slightly, she glanced away from him.

"I know, I shouldn't have done that. But I...feel like I needed to. A simple 'thank you' wasn't enough." she said dejectedly. She then began to pull away from him. Before she could, much to her surprise, Naruto gripped her shoulders and pulled her back into him. Their lips then came together again, this time at Naruto's behest. Though she was initially shocked, the heiress quickly came to and returned the kiss wholeheartedly. When they separated, Hinata saw that his eyes were leaking tears. Needing no further prompting, Hinata pulled him into a tight huge and held his head to her shoulder.

"S-sorry. I'm just feeling r-really weird and stuff. I d-don't know why and…" the blonde began, trailing off into unintelligible sniffles by the end of the sentence. Hinata shook her head and gently brushed her hand through his hair.

"You don't need to tell me why. You've been starved for affection for far too long. Cry as much as you need to. I'll be right here." she said kindly. Naruto did just that for a number of minutes before pulling his head up and making a bit of space.

"I needed that. Thanks, Hinata." he said through a sniffle. The heiress and leaned forward and kissed his cheek affectionately.

"Anything you need, I'll do my best to provide. I do love you, after all." she said genuinely. She had taken a great risk in voicing her raw emotions so confidently, but it had the desired effect. Naruto's lips pulled into the ghost of a smile.

"I don't really understand why you would, but I...that makes me so happy. So happy…" he said a tad hoarsely. Hinata traced the whisker-esque markings on his cheeks lightly.

"There are so many reasons why. You dragged me up from depression more than once without even trying to, and I adore all your little habits and mannerisms. I know all of them, and I love each one. But, things like this are the greatest reason why." she said vaguely.

"What do you mean?" Naruto asked skeptically. Hinata gestured to his origami and then moved her hands to grasp his.

"For all that you joke and bluster, you're thoughtful and kind. You may not remember it, but you saved me from a group of bullies when we were young. We'd never met me before, but you took a beating for me. Then, you went and made me an origami sculpture just because." she said. There was then a brief pause.

"I don't care if you don't love me, Naruto-kun. For years, I thought that was what I needed. I'd still be beside myself with glee if you do, but just being able to make you understand that you're precious is enough for me either way." she said, her voice gaining a tone of melancholy. Naruto gave her hands a squeeze.

"Me kissing you should've tipped you off, doofus. You're my only friend, and my favorite person by a mile. I don't really know how love works, but I'm pretty sure I love you, Hinata." he replied with a smile. Despite her previous composure, the phrase "I love you, Hinata" completely drove the Hyuga girl over a cliff. She pushed off the balls of her feet and tackled Naruto to the ground, landing on top of him on the floor.

"Did you have to tackle me?" the blonde complained sarcastically as Hinata settled atop him. She then peered up from his lower chest.

"I've waited years to hear those words. I dreamed them, I wrote about them, and I honestly thought I'd never hear them. Can you really blame me?" she asked innocently. Naruto blushed noticeably.

"Man, I really should've started talking to you sooner. Sounds like we were both waiting for something." he said awkwardly. The heiress shook her head and mounted herself on his waist.

"I think the time had to be right. A few years ago, I'd have fainted at the prospect of being alone in a room with you. I also wasn't as sure of how I felt about you then. Now, I know for sure, and I had a better idea of how to love you quietly until it was time to tell you." she said. Naruto shifted a little underneath her.

"That makes sense, but, uh, why're you sitting on me?" he asked skeptically. Hinata then flattened herself over him and laid a hand on the side of his face.

"Because I want to kiss you more. I want to nuzzle you too. I want to make you feel loved." she said. Naruto blinked several times.

"I'm sorta bad at kissing, though." he pointed out. The heiress shrugged her shoulders and gave him a peck on the nose.

"I had never kissed anybody before you. That was my first. I'm not 'good' at it either. Let's learn to be good at it together." she suggested. Finding that he had no qualms with the idea, Naruto nodded. Needing no other prompts, Hinata fitted her lips to his.

Little was said in the following hour, but there was no need. By the time the heiress reluctantly left with the origami in hand, both were out of breath, and most of Naruto's face had been touched by Hinata's lips.

Naruto yawned and made his way to his front door, which was being knocked on somewhat forcefully. It was early, hardly six in the morning, and he was half-asleep. Despite his lack of legitimate consciousness, the volume of the sound of his door had drawn him from his bed. When he reached the door frame, he opened the entrance and rubbed his eyes. Who he saw on the other side snapped him awake instantaneously. Standing tall just outside his apartment was Hiashi Hyuga. His expression was difficult to pin down in terms of what emotion it was conveying, but it certainly wasn't one that brought Naruto great comfort.

"Good morning, Uzumaki-san. You slept well, I trust?" He greeted the boy politely. Tongue-tied for a moment, Naruto took a bit of time to reply.

"Uh, yeah, I did. Good morning to you too, Hiashi-sama." he replied with a frantic bow. The clan head waved a dismissive hand and stepped forward.

"I appreciate the respect, but I'd prefer to skip formalities for the most part. May I come in?" he asked. The blonde stepped aside from his door and nodded.

"Yeah, of course." he said nervously. The man then briskly walked inside and allowed the blonde to shut the door behind him. Hiashi swiftly made his way to the dining table and sat down. Easily receiving the silent message, Naruto followed suit and sat down across from him. Once they were both situated, the clan head cleared his throat.

"Well, I certainly never expected my own daughter to be so assertive." he said, seemingly well aware that no clarification was needed for Naruto to understand exactly what he was talking about. Tensing slightly, the blonde drummed his fingers on the table pensively.

"Neither did I, honestly. But, I'm glad she was. She really got her point across." he said with an uncomfortable chuckle. Hiashi raised an eyebrow.

"Not even a single frantic apology. I'm impressed. You're more fortified than I thought you were, my young friend." he complimented the blonde. Naruto relaxed a bit.

"I mean, there's no reason you'd be here other than Hinata, so I sorta knew what to expect when you showed up." he explained. The older man nodded and rested his elbows on the table.

"In that case, let's get down to exactly why I'm here. Hinata did what she could to contain herself when she returned home last night, but it was blatantly obvious that she was extremely pleased. Also quite red-faced. It took very little prodding to get her to open up." he recounted. Naruto swallowed the lump in his throat.

"I'm guessing you're pretty pissed at me, then?" he inquired. Much to his shock and relief, Hiashi shook his head.

"No, not in the least. I'm not here to berate you. You've made her very happy, and it seems that she's done the same for you. I'm not so cruel as to drive a wedge in between the two of you. I'm here to discuss something else, actually." he corrected. The blonde furrowed his brow at this.

"I mean, I'm glad, and thank you, but what else would you be here for than to yell at me or something?" he asked, quite puzzled by the new revelation. The clan head made a wide sweeping motion with his hand to the full interior of Naruto's apartment.

"I have an offer for you. Something I suggest you think hard about." he began. He then took a deep breath and set his sights on the blonde.'

"Would you like to take up residence in the Hyuga Estate? I already ran this idea by Hinata and Neji last night, and they were both perfectly alright with it. Hinata especially. There are a few stragglers here and there who don't think much of you, but I'd trust you to change their opinions." he asked. Naruto's eyes widened to saucers.

"Wait, really? Is this a joke? Because you've definitely got me if it is." he said, totally dumbstruck by what Hiashi was suggesting. The clan head barked a short laugh.

"I'm not very funny, and I hardly ever joke. I'm entirely serious. Perhaps I shouldn't tell you this, but your rent has been overinflated for years now. I've done what I can to curb it, but you're bound to continue living in near-poverty if you remain here." he said. The blonde growled and glanced at his door.

"I knew those bills were way too expensive. But, are you really sure you want me living in your house? I'm pretty messy." he asked. Hiashi smirked.

"Oh, I'll break you of that messiness in short order. And if you're worried about the Hyuga's publicity, don't be. I'm quite a good propagandist when I need to be. You'd be staying in a guest room across the hall from Neji in the branch house." he said. Naruto frowned.

"You've said that name twice. Who's this Neji guy?" he asked curiously. The clan head rested his chin on his interlaced fingers.

"He's my nephew. Two years older than you, I believe. He's also Hinata's bodyguard." he said, adding the final line for effect. The blonde flinched.

"Is he gonna beat me up for being around Hinata a lot?" he asked nervously, earning another laugh from Hiashi.

"He's fairly mellow, but if you overstep your boundaries, it's possible. He's much stronger than either you or Hinata." he replied. Naruto remained silent for a few moments.

"I think I wanna do this. You can kick me out whenever, but I'd like to live with you guys." he said carefully. The clan head nodded and stood to his feet.

"Complete your daily tasks and maintain your manners, and that won't be a concern. Also, try to keep your...ahem, episodes with Hinata behind closed doors. Though, she oddly seems the more forward between the two of you, so maybe I'll give you leeway." he said. Hiashi then began walking, but not towards the door.

"Where are you going, exactly?" Naruto asked. The older man shrugged his shoulders and glanced back at him.

"I'm going to help you pack. We're getting this over with before noon."

A/N: So yeah, that's where Naruto is heading. Hope you guys enjoyed Naruto and Hinata's scene. This chapter was fun to write, and I hope you liked it. Only one chapter to go. Tell me what you thought of the chapter :)

See you next chapter! Read and Review!