Sorry it's been a little while.. I hit a writers block, but I came out with my Megaton Hammer and busted the bajeebers out of it and now here's a 3,000 word chapter! Yay. :D Enjoy!

Dinner at the Hyuuga Mansion had been many things for Naruto. The first thing it was was awkward. He almost had trouble concentrating on the food because Hinata's father, Hyuuga Hiashi had some impressive glare. He didn't even have to try; his default face was one of a stern, incredibly strict and superior clan leader. And having said glare piercing right through you throughout a meal can really distinguish the fiery urge within you to eat everything in sight, because of how delicious it looked. And those looks were far from deceiving.

That was the second thing; it was amazing. Although it was strange, Naruto had this warming buzz in his system the entire night. He hadn't had a meal so delicious before, all thanks to Hinata's impeccable cooking. 'Imagine! They eat like this every night!' Naruto repeatedly thought to himself, as he tried as politely as he could to eat his meal slowly and cleanly. His chopsticks would shake in his fingers from trying to make a good impression; first of all because he was kind of afraid of Hiashi's and even Hanabi's reaction if his table manners were not up to par. Second of all this was the first time Naruto had sat down and had a meal with a family. A real family. The closest he had gotten to this before was a couple of Ichiraku trips with his old team 7, long back when he was 13. And even though it was bit awkward and strange, it was one of the best mealtimes he had ever had (and he had had A LOT of mealtimes).

At the end of the evening, after having said a big thank you to Hinata and her father, Naruto went to get his shoes on at the steps near the front door. Hiashi had requested to speak with his daughter, so Hinata would see Naruto out in only a moment.

"Your shoes are dirty."

Naruto jumped. Hanabi was behind him, her hands folded behind her back. She really resembled her father in that stance.

"O-oh. Hanabi...I didn't notice you the-"

"I do not have time for idle chatter. I only wished to make my presence known; but there is something I'd like to speak with you about as well Uzamaki Naruto." She hadn't failed all night to prove to Naruto how proper and blunt she was, in a frightening way. He shrugged, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

"Okay. Shoot."

"I dont know if you've noticed..." Hanabi said, looking right into his eyes, "...but my Onee-chan... She has a bruise; right here." she motioned to her left collar bone, in between her shoulder and her neck.

"Uhm...I guess."

"Did you notice or not?"

"I did! Absolutely! I mean... Not that I was staring there or anything. There's nothing interesting about it there."

"It just appeared recently. Within the week. However it has not been the first injury she has received in the past week. Her ankle was cut..."

"Yes I remember that."

"...her toes were scratched up, her wrists look like they been wrung mercilessly, red as if bound by ropes. Even her cheeks at dinner were unusually pinked, not in the flustered sense, but as if she had come across unwelcome physical contact."

Naruto was pensive, knowing that Hinata had begun to slap herself out of nowhere, and hesitantly said, "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying my sister is being injured, though I don't know why. She is injuring herself."

"Okay, so her cheeks were pink. She did that herself but I'm almost sure that was because of embarrassment...but are you sure the rest is not from ninja training? An assumption like that is very serious, especially if it's self-harm."

"She is doing it to herself, constant physical harm. I can just tell. Plus, it has only been incredibly frequent this past week. Ever since you came back." she stared at him. A thought hit him, it almost made all that wonderful food come right back up.

"I do not blame you Uzamaki Naruto. I will not blame you; I also do not in any way shape or form consider or even fathom that YOU are hurting her, despite your recent arrival and the recent injuries that have occurred. No harm is coming to her through outside influence, " Naruto instantly relaxed: of course he would never even dream of causing physical harm to Hinata. He'd never want to hurt her, he'd never want to hurt anyone! He told Hanabi this, and she almost smiled.

"I know. I know... Naruto-sama. Please. Please help my sister. Find out why she's doing it. Please help her, if not for me, but if she means anything to you!" She looked to him with worried eyes, the first emotion he had seen her portray all night. This was the most vulnerable Naruto felt he was ever going to see Hanabi.

Suddenly, Hinata's came out to the patio. "Sorry about that." From the look on both their faces, Hinata became concerned. "Is everything all right?"

"Yep. It's all cool." He turned to Hanabi and bowed. "I'll do my best-ttebayo!" and then he turned to Hinata. "Hinata-chan, that was the best food I've had in ages. Maybe even ever! Your family must be so grateful to have you!"

"Oh Naruto-san...I-it's nothing really. I... I'm very glad you were able to j-join us," Hinata tucked a hair behind her ear, nervously. She was beginning to stutter again, albeit not as frequently as she had in the past.

"Thanks. Thanks alot!" Naruto answered. Hanabi bowed, looking satisfied and headed off inside.

Naruto shoved his hands deep in his pockets and look down at his feet a minute. When he looked back up, he saw Hinata staring at him, slightly confused at his hesitation. "Ah...Hinata-chan. Do you wanna meet up again tomorrow?"

Hinata smiled broadly, purely elated and almost unsure why the happiness engulfed her so quickly. But a thought hit her, and she became immediately depressed. "I...I can't. I really sorry...but I must sit in with a clan meeting with my father."

"Ah. Heiress training?"

She smiled, shrugging her shoulders lightly "something like that."

"Eh it's alright. We'll see each other around." He wanted to see her again, so he only implied. He turned to go, but Hinata said, "Maybe after the meeting... We could, uhm..."

Naruto smirked and said, "meet up?"

She nodded, giggling. "It shouldn't take long. I might be out by the early evening."

"I gotta check my schedule," he winked at her, "but I'm pretty sure I'm free then." They laughed; Naruto opened the gates and Hinata laced her fingers together, dropping her hands to rest in front of her. "I'll come by at around 7?"

"Yes. That's fine."

And with that, he headed off for the night, eagerly awaiting the next.

The next evening, Naruto made his way to the Hyuuga compound dressed in casual wear. He had a tank top with a zipper up hoodie, his blue crystal hanging around his neck, and loose jeans that he rarely got any use out of, with no orange in sight. With a satisfying day behind him, Naruto hoped the rest of his night would surpass the good of the previous time spent.

He had gone to Ino's family shop and bought a small potted plant. Ink had given him the strangest look and with great persistence, tried to get the reason why he of all people would buy a potted plant. He had simply replied that a friend of his took care of many beautiful plants that she inspired him to take up the hobby as well on a much smaller, laid back scale. Besides, the little plant would look nice in his run down apartment.

Ino agreed, but then caught a word; she then persisted to ask who this 'she' was, the she that inspired him. He suddenly remembered he had other errands to run and took his leave with a word of goodbye and his plant in hand. His small plant was now sitting upon his windowsill right near his bedside, happily glistening in the sunlight. With it in his sights in the morning, he'd also remember to water it, which he presumed, with the nice amount of soil, sunlight and eater, would keep the plant alive and thriving. He'd have to tell Hinata about it when it looked really green and impressive.

Unsure of how to enter the compound, Naruto hesitantly knocked on the big, pointed gate door. The knocks echoed as if a gong was sounded and he waited. Nervous and a bit uneasy, he went to knock again, when suddenly the gate opened with a loud creaking noise.

When he saw Hinata, he was sure his cheeks pinked. He knew he thought Hinata was pretty but as he stared at her in her business formal kimono, probably the first time he had seen her in one, all he could think of was how downright gorgeous she was, especially when she smiled at him. She smiled now; he felt his heartbeat skip. Whoa, that was weird. He went to place his hand over his heart, incredibly unsure of what that jerk in his chest was; he began to slowly scratch there instead, brushing it off his mind.

"Sorry to keep you. I just got out. Do you mind waiting a bit longer so I can change?"

He seemed a bit disheartened at the clothing change. "No worries. I just got here. I don't mind at all."

She came it shortly after in a short sleeved blouse and a pleated skirt. Naruto wasn't so upset about the kimono anymore.

The water was a bit cold, the chill biting at their toes, but hand in hand, Hinata and Naruto stepped into the pond together. Going to the pond in the middle of the forest had been Hinata's idea, after Naruto had persistently insisted she decide where they go, as another thanks for dinner the night before. Naruto could only roll his jeans up to his knees, while Hinata could go farther in without getting too we, because of her skirt. But they weren't going swimming.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes."

After a few hands signs and a collection of chakra, the two rose up together, so the bottoms of their feet met the crystal water's surface. It took Naruto a bit of chakra concentration to stand so fluidly on the water, but for Hinata it seemed like second nature. Hinata opened her eyes, not recalling having shut them, and across from her stood Naruto, who was gazing up towards the bright moon. She stepped closer to him, rippling the water with her footsteps, and reached out her hand. She almost hesitated, and almost didn't do it. She almost reconsidered it. But something insider her confidently pushed her forward. 'Why not? Just do it!'

Her fingers tapped Naruto's shoulder when he turned he saw her scampering away. "You're it!"

He smirked and ran after her, "Not for long!" Their game of tag began. They ran after each other, laughing and skidding on the water. They would splash each other to distract the tagger and make their escape. Clothes soaked and lungs out of breath, the two pranced around each other, the cold of the water the last thing on their minds. For the most part, that was the case with most things they had occupied their minds with recently, business as usual and topics to brood upon.

Their minds now were simply filled with thoughts of one another, their companion for the evening that was so captivating, neither could remember any other person besides themselves even existed.

At one point, Naruto's balance faltered and he plummeted into the water below with a huge splash, as Hinata barely escaped his touch. She scurried away on the water as Naruto resurfaced, spluttering and spitting out water. In the moonlight, Hinata's figure became a silhouette and she began to dance on the water, fluidly waving her arms around her as she spun on her toes.

Naruto was stunned, treading water and watching Hinata dance having a perplexing feeling of dejavu, She laughed light-heartedly; her laugh rang like a bell, through the deep quiet of the night. Twirling, she threw her head back, droplets of water cascading around her, meeting their mother pond with tiny splashes. Naruto gazed in awe; something clicked in his head. In a hurry, he gathered enough chakra to sand again and clumsily ran towards Hinata by the waterfall.

"H-Hinata-chan!" Still unsteady on his feet, he tripped towards her. Hinata eeped as he brought her down with him. When they came up for air, they found they could stand on the underwater rocks, where the water came up to their shoulders. Their hair dripping, Naruto grasped Hinata's arms.

"You were the girl from the waterfall!"

"What?"

"You were the girl all those years ago, dancing on the water!"

"What? I've never done this before! N-not in front of anyone at least!" She tried to get out of his grasp, but she slipped on the rock she was standing on. Naruto caught her by the shoulders before she went under. Spitting out some cold water, Hinata began to sputter out incoherent words; Naruto was too preoccupied with his epiphany that he vaguely noticed her discomfort.

"You were the girl! Remember? You danced on the water and I fell in the water..." He laughed. "And...and... and it scared you away! Oh Kami, I can't believe this!" He smiled so wide his whisker marks became incredibly prominent, making him look foxlike in the moonlight.

"Uh-uhm. I-I don't remem- remember! I don't..."

"You must remember, Hinata-chan!"

"I-I can't! I can't remember!" she shrieked. She could see it; she could see that night in her eyes, the serene water, the dance under the stars, the blonde falling into the water.

She shrieked again, tears building in her eyes. Fighting her way out of his grasp, she jerked away. "N-no!" She made her way to shore, crawling on her hands and knees on the grass and rocks. Naruto followed.

"Hinata-chan...I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."

"I don't remember, Naruto-san!" Hinata quickly turned into a frantic wreck, her hands gripped at the roots of her hair. As Naruto waded in towards her out of the pond, he saw Hinata hunched over, her entire frame shaking. She began to pull at her long beautiful locks in the midst of soft crying, tearing her dark hair from her scalp. "I don't... I-I can't..." It was cold, she shivered. Darkness pooled around her, closing in. The memories, she couldn't take the memories that threatened to resurface.

Strong arms wrapped themselves around her shoulders and back, pressing her head into a warm chest. Naruto tried to calm her, as her crying ran its course through her with every hiccup and sniffle.

"Shh..." he cooed, resting his cheek on the top of her head. "It's alright. It's only a memory."

Only a memory. Hinata held in a breath, pausing, but her emotions overcame her. "I-I'm sorry... I'm s-sorry I'm weak," she sniffled in a shaky voice, between her quiet sobs.

"Don't say that," Naruto answered right away, almost a little harshly. "Please don't say that Hinata-chan. You're not weak at all. Everything's all right. Hinata-chan...Hinata-chan..." It took her a little while, but her clenched fingers slowly released her hair from their grasp. The more he said her name in his soft, husky tone, the calmer she became and the more she moved; her now limber arms met around his torso, embracing him as well.

He smiled sadly at the returned hug and said, "It's all right... Hinata-chan. I'm here, okay? You're not weak when you're with me. I'm here." He held his hand on the back of her head, running it down the length of her tresses for comfort.

"Y-you're here..." she mumbled into his chest. "T-thank you, Naruto-san."

"You don't need to thank me. Really." he whispered, just holding her close. "I'm sorry."

They stayed together until Hinata shivered again from their damp clothes and dripping hair. Naruto noticed and unfolded his arms from around Hinata. She looked up at him, shivering and biting her lower lip, but with a look in her eyes that resembled that of an abandoned puppy. Naruto's hoodie, nice and dry, was now draped around her shoulders. "Here. Put your arms in the sleeves; you'll warm right up."

She was about to protest, so close to saying how she preferred his arms around her for warmth, but thought better of it. 'That's too bold to even think!' Hinata thought, zippering up the hoodie in the front, feeling her cheeks instantly warm right up. She got a whiff of Naruto's scent from the sweatshirt, maybe she could use the hoodie as a substitute for his warm embrace after all.

"C'mon, Hiata-chan. I'll take you home." Naruto reached for her hand; she placed hers in his and held onto his arm, bringing herself up to her feet.

As they walked home though the forest, Naruto said. "I saw a girl once. At a waterfall, on a night just like this, the clearest night sky with the brightest of stars-tebayo! But the only thing that had my attention was her; the figure dancing on the water. Such moves! Ha! And what a figure! She was an amazing being! And for a long while, I thought she was a mythical creature or an angel! Some sort of fantasy. She saw me then, but ran away because she was really shy. It was kind of cute!" He turned to Hinata and smiled widely with his teeth; she stared at him, listening to him like a child listening to a story at bedtime. "And that only made her more intriguing. I haven't seen her since then, but I hope after all this time she hasn't forgotten me...And if she has, then maybe, hopefully, after a little time and patience, she will remember. She will recall the memory I shared with her."

"M-maybe so, Naruto-san. This girl may have t-troubling remembering, but I don't know how she could possibly forget someone like you! I'm sure she'll come around, you'll see. I'm sure of it." She smiled up at him, sincerely, snuggling into his arm as she held it. There were no implications not hidden meanings behind her words; just pure sincerity.

Naruto nodded, but also couldn't help but think how good Hinata looked in his sweatshirt. He blushed and then gave a laugh as they walked home for the night.

Ta Da :D Review! :D