Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine

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"H-here you go Naruto! Your pork ramen," said Hinata as she presented the blonde with his bowl. Naruto sniffed it and licked his lips. He would've never dreamed that the shy, quiet kunoichi was such an excellent chef. If she opened a ramen shop, she could easily put Ichiraku out of business.

"Thanks, Hinata, it smells great! Mmmm," he said as he dug in. Hinata watched with approval. When Naruto finished, (about two seconds later), he watched Hinata while she cleaned the kitchen. He wouldn't change a thing about her, from her stuttering habit to the way she always managed to make him smile. The young Hyuuga was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

She dropped a plate, cursing under her breath, and Naruto moved to assist her. She waved him away with a smile.

"I-it's okay. I've got it- Ow!"

"Hinata, you're bleeding!" One of the shards of glass had made a small cut on her index finger.

"I-it's just a small cut, N-Naruto. I'm okay." She moved to get a band-aid from the cupboard, but Naruto had beat her to it. He held it out to her, and she put it on after washing the tiny wound. The blonde shinobi observed with a frown. He was always protective of Hinata. She seemed so fragile, but that was only to those who didn't know her. The lavender headed kunoichi had proved on several occasions that she was more than capable of looking out for herself. Even so, Naruto felt obligated to protect her from harm. Loosing Hinata would be like loosing a part of himself, the part that offered common sense and kept him in line. She also understood him better than anyone else; she didn't mind his impulsiveness, and admired his determination, she herself understanding how it felt to be overshadowed and looked down opon, (she could thank her family for that).

With a foxy grin, the orange-clad ninja snuck up behind the Hyuuga and began tickling her on the sides of her stomach. She squealed and doubled over, laughing.

"N-Naruto, s-s-stop!" But he continued mercilessly. She managed to wiggle out of his grasp, and then turned to poke him in the one place that he was ticklish: the center of his belly, where the Kyuubi seal was located. Naruto howled like he was being murdered.

"Argh! Stop! T-that's not fair!" Hinata released him and giggled. Naruto glared at her. She grabbed a bag of supplies from the counter and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I-I have a m-mission today. I th-thought I told you..." Naruto stood up to hug her. As he did so, he smirked. He remembered a time when he couldn't do so much as look her in the eye before she'd faint. They'd both changed a lot since those days.

"Be safe," he whispered into her ear.

"Of course," she smiled, hesitated for a moment, and kissed him on the cheek. Naruto let go out of surprise. That was different.

"Bye, Naruto-Kun!" Hinata left, and her beloved looked after her until she reached the end of the street. He chuckled too himself, touching the spot on his cheek where her lips had just been. She was his and he was hers. A hyperactive, annoying, stupid idiot like him, and a shy, sweet, caring angel like her. As they say, opposites attract.

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