November was the first time...
"Hinata," Naruto said.
"Yes?" She turned her head slightly.
"Do you like me?" He asked.
"N-naruto," Sakura hit him on the head with her fist. "You can't just ask her just like that!"
"E-eh?!" Hinata nearly dropped the empty bowl in her hand.
"I heard that you liked me," He said. "Is it true?"
Lee just shook his head and continued to concentrate on his ramen rather than get involved.
"It... was true, Naruto," She said slowly turning away and placing the bowl in the sink. "However... I couldn't wait for you forever."
Sakura's mouth fell open with a gasp and ramen came out of Lee's nose. Hinata cleaned the dishes until they were sparkling clean and spotless. The trio eventually left and the day seemed to fly by from there. Finishing up the last of the dishes, Hinata sighed and sat herself at the bar for a bowl of ramen.
"Yo," Someone dropped down into the seat beside her.
"Sasuke!" She cried out, thoroughly shocked. "When did you get back?"
"Earlier today," He said, ordering a bowl of ramen before resting his elbow on the bar and turning to look at her. "Are you off?"
"Yes," Hinata nodded and smiled at Teuchi who placed a steaming bowl in front of her and Sasuke. "I just thought I'd eat before heading home..."
"I heard about it," Sasuke said vaguely, breaking apart his chopsticks. "About the Naruto thing..."
"E-eh..." She scratched her cheek and looked down at her ramen. It was only a few hours ago, but she was sure the whole village had known about it by now. Gossip and rumors seemed to spread throughout the village in mere minutes.
There short silence as they both began to eat. Sasuke seemed the eat with a little more energy, as if he were happy about something.
"Um... thank you for the fan," She said with a faint blush. "I like it very much... Is there anything you would like, Sasuke?"
Sasuke glanced over at her and waved a hand dismissively, indicating that she didn't have to give him anything. Hinata pursed her lips and grabbed up the two naruto sitting in her bowl, dropping them into his as she always did. He looked down at his bowl, then looked at her. She stared straight back.
There was a thick silence that Teuchi observed with a little anxiety. He couldn't read neither Hinata nor Sasuke at all. Only when Sasuke cracked a small smile and Hinata chimed in a little laughter was he able to relax and return to cleaning up the stove.
"I'll be leaving on another mission tomorrow morning," Sasuke said as he stood up and looked at the bill.
"Eh?" Hinata's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "You just returned from the last one. How long will this one take?"
"About a month if I'm lucky, but that doesn't seem too plausible at the moment," He said, counting out his money and handing it to the bar owner. "Keep the change."
" I see..." Hinata frowned for a second, but quickly put on a forced smile. "Well, good luck and come back safely."
Sasuke stared at her for a moment before nodding. "Will do." He said, then turned and left.
"Ah," Hinata sighed again and poked at the seaweed floating in her bowl before putting it in her mouth. "He won't be here next month..."
She began to count the money in her wallet.
"Hinata, you don't need to pay," Teuchi stopped her. "Sasuke already paid for your meal."
"Did he?" She shook her head and looked out into the empty streets. "I didn't get to thank him."