Author's Note: Due to recent manga developments that threw me waaaaay off track, both good and bad, (those of you who have read the manga, know what I'm talking about), this chapter took forever to write and get right.

Three times Hinata tells Naruto she loves him. The forth time, he beats her to it.

Love

The first time, she was certain it would be her last words.

It was not supposed to be like this.

Devastation.

Death.

Destruction.

It was not supposed to end like this. Not for them, not for the world.

Not for him.

Hinata watch in despair how the enemy had captured Naruto. Taunting him. Torturing him. Impaled him. Imprisoned him. Naruto, the light in her pitiful life. If he was killed... If he died... Hinata couldn't bear the thought of a world without Naruto in it. The world needed him.

She needed him.

So she had no choice, really. She had to do what she could, no matter how little. She was too selfish to endure, or even imagine, a world without him in it. Her resolve strengthened, her heartbeat – which had been beating erratically for the last hour – slowed, an eerie calm enveloped her, rage at the enemy, rage at the world, coursed through her veins. She loved him, and if her life was the cost to keep Naruto alive, then it wasn't even a proper choice.

Before anyone could stop her, she threw herself down to the battleground. Placing herself in front of the only man she had ever loved. To face an enemy she had no hope of defeating. To protect him.

Naruto.

"I won't let you lay another finger on Naruto!" She spat out at the man calling himself Pain.

"What are you doing here?" Naruto was livid. "Get out of here – you are no match-"

"I know..." She interrupted him. "I'm... Just being selfish..."

"What are you talking about!? What are you doing here? It's dangerous!" Naruto sounded desperate and unbelievably angry. Had it been any other time, Hinata would have backed down. Not this time, though.

"I'm here of my own free will. I used to cry and always give up," she tried to explain. She wanted him to understand why she was doing this. Why she needed to do this. She told him of how he inspired her, how he changed her, how his smile had saved her. "So I'm not afraid to die protecting you! Because I -" She hesitated for only a second. "I love you."

With those last word she flung herself at Pain with every intention of doing as much damage as she could in as little time as possible. She was overpowered easily, but it didn't matter. She would die protecting the man she loved.

She couldn't think of a better way to go.

The second time, it is only a confirmation to his question.

It was a beautiful fall day. The leaves had turned lovely shades of orange, red and yellow. The sun still provided some warmth against the chilly winds that traveled through Konoha. Fall, Hinata decide as she walked down an alley towards the market, was her favorite season. She especially loved the colors; orange, after all, had been her favorite color by default for years and years. And, in the fall, she had a legit reason to show Naruto some small fraction of her love by giving him a carefully selected gift for his birthday. His birthday that was only a week away. She hadn't yet decided what she was going to give him; every birthday gift since the war ended four years ago, proved to be more and more difficult to select. Coupons for free Ramen was sure to be appreciated, but it didn't really say what she wanted to say. But she couldn't give him something too fancy and elaborate either...

"Hey, Hinata, wait up!"

"Naruto," Hinata greeted faintly, feeling the color rise in her cheeks. She wondered if she would ever outgrow her blushing, as she (almost) had her stuttering.

"Are you going to the market?" he asked with his usual friendly smile – nothing that should have made her heartbeat uneven, if only for a second, but it did. He always did. She nodded, a smile growing on her face too.

"Great! So am I, I'm meeting Sakura and Sasuke for lunch," he fell into step beside her. "I'm twenty minutes late already, but who cares? Anything to spare me that weird, awkward tension they have going on!" He shuddered. "If I notice, it must be pretty damn bad!"

Hinata giggled at that, it was the truth after all; Naruto was notoriously oblivious. Which she herself was painfully aware of.

He scratched the back of his head with a sheepish grin. "Anyway, what are you up to? It feels like I haven't seen you in forever."

Hinata ducked her head to hide her ever-present blush. She didn't think he would have noticed, sure they did see each other regularly when the Rookie 9 (13, counting her cousin, Tenten, Lee and Sai) hung out together; but they were never alone, just the two of them. "I got home from a mission in Grass yesterday."

"Really? Was it awesome?" Naruto asked with infectious enthusiasm. Hinata caught herself telling him not only about the mission itself (a dull, diplomatic one on behalf of her clan), but also about the people she had met, particularly about a noble-man's son who had paid an uncomfortable amount of attention to her.

"- but I didn't want to seem rude, so by the fifth day I tried to avoid him instead."

"Didn't want to seem...? Hinata, he tried to grope you, more than once! You should have broken his neck, or at the very least, his hands!" Naruto very adamantly told her, a frown marring his otherwise sunny expression.

"I, um..." Hinata hesitated, her blush coming back in hundred-fold. "I actually, accidentally of course, happened to step on his toes every time he asked me to dance."

Naruto stopped in his tracks and only looked at her with eyes wide. Then he broke down in an honest, booming laugh that warmed Hinata to her core. He flung his arm around her shoulders and resumed their walking. "Accidentally stepped on his toes... Man..." He snorted again.

Hinata bit her own lip to keep from laughing herself, she had felt awful about the way she'd behaved, even though he might have deserved it. But, she realized, maybe she didn't have to feel too bad about it, not if Naruto approved of her actions. Not if it made him put his arm around her... She couldn't help but notice how she fitted perfectly under his arm and by his side, which made her blush for the umpteenth time.

They walked in companionable silence for a while, broken only by Naruto's occasional chuckle. He didn't remove his arm until they arrived in front of a restaurant, his apparent destination.

He peered through the window, looking for something. "Ah, like I thought" he said. He nodded towards two persons huddled together in a booth by the back of the restaurant. Sakura and Sasuke were apparently sharing a menu and sitting awfully close to one another for it to be entirely casual. Hinata thought they looked quite adorable, a wistful countenance settled over her delicate features as she witnessed how Sakura laughed at something Sasuke said.

Naruto watched the couple with a wry smile, but kept sneaking glances at Hinata from the side. Contemplative glances that for some reason made her incredibly nervous.

At last, she couldn't hold it anymore. "Is... Is something the matter? Aren't you going to join them?"

Naruto opened his mouth seemingly to answer, but closed it again. Twice. By the third time, Hinata was worried; Naruto was never tongue-tied – he always had something to say. "Naruto?"

"Do you..." He hesitated yet again. "Five years ago, when Pain attacked, do you remember what you said to me?"

Hinata turned to face him with a speed that would have made any ninja in the village proud.

"I totally understand if you don't, it was ages ago. I just... I never... But I've been thinking about it. Sometimes." Naruto grew more and more awkward in his speech. Hinata's heart picked up and accelerated. He was obviously uncomfortable that she didn't immediately answer him. "I've been meaning to talk to you sooner, especially after the battle with Obito and Madara... But there was never time, and I guess you've forgotten anyway, so it doesn't matter. You know what?" He said embarrassed with a grimace that made his whisker-marks distort. "Forget I said anything. It was real nice seeing you, Hinata."

It wasn't until he turned to leave, Hinata found her courage and her voice again. "I love you," she blurted out. She hastily continued. "That's what I said to you, five years ago."

"Yeah," Naruto turned to face her again, his face uncharacteristically unreadable. "Did you mean it? No one has ever... I just want... I just need to know if you meant it."

Hinata felt her face turn the color of Sakura's trademark dress. She looked down at her shoes. "I would never lie to you, or ever forget that day." She slowly rose her gaze until they locked with sky-blue. She swallowed noticeably. "I meant every word."

"Despite..." She saw Naruto put a hand, almost self consciously, over his seal on his stomach. He let his hand drop to his side when he saw her looking.

Hinata forced herself to meet his eyes unflinchingly. She needed to be brave, for him. "I'm sad you think so poorly of me, to even believe for a second I would care."

"Okay." Naruto's mouth transformed into a lop-sided grin. "Okay."

"Yes," Hinata took a deep breath, desperately trying to get her heartbeat and her terribly flushed face under control again. She was way out of her comfort zone, and was afraid she would faint unless she somehow manged to flee the scene. "Well, I should be going. Good-day, Naruto."

"Are you hungry?" He asked before she had time to make a hasty retreat.

"I – yes," Hinata answered truthfully, completely caught off guard.

"Great! Let's go!"

"G-go?" She repeated bewildered. "What about your teammates?"

"They won't even notice I'm gone." Naruto rolled his eyes. He put his arm casually around her shoulders again, making a small, very embarrassing gasp escape her. Together they made their way over to Ichiraku's; Naruto excitedly telling a positively beaming Hinata about a spar he'd had earlier in the day with Rock Lee. This moment, Hinata decided then and there, was worth five years of silence.

And fall was definitely her favorite season of the year.

The third time, he wasn't supposed to have heard her.

Hinata clapped along with every one else as Naruto donned the Hokage Robes for the first time. Her face was split in an uncharacteristic wide grin, she was so happy and proud she felt tears fill her eyes. The last four months had been the happiest of her life. After their accidental, serendipitous meeting that fall day, they had met up more and more often – to talk, eat and train. Hinata thought she would have been content with just that. And she was.

Until he kissed her three weeks ago.

They had been training taijutsu, and Naruto had managed (after considerable effort) to pin Hinata between a tree and his own body. He had stared at her for three long seconds before he purposefully had leaned in and given her a chaste kiss.

"I win," he had said with a crooked smile and backed off like nothing unusual had happened.

Hinata had, predictably, only turned a deep magenta, but secretly wished he'd do it again. (He had, an hour later when they reached her house. Needless to say, their usual good-bye had grown considerably longer since then.)

Now, Hinata could hardly imagine what it was like; when she had been content with only observing him from a distance.

Sakura and Ino suddenly turned up on either side of the reminiscing Hinata and hugged her, efficiently breaking the girl from her thoughts. With a small, happy laugh she hugged them back fiercely.

Nothing could diminish her happiness at this moment.

"A scandal, that's what it is!" Right in front of the three women stood two older ladies with crossed arms, demonstratively not clapping along with the crowd. The smaller of the two was voicing her obvious dislike. "A scandal!"

The larger one nodded. "Putting that – that... Man in charge of our revered village, it's sacrilegious!"

Hinata gasped. How dared they?

"My ancestors are turning in their graves, I can feel it!" The older women continued mercilessly.

"Oh, no." Sakura and Ino exchanged a worried, although furious, look as Hinata took a deep breath and stepped over to the old ladies.

"He'll slay us in our sleep, oh my poor grandchildren!"

"Excuse me?" Hinata said politely, only a slight edge in her voice betraying her cool. "But I would appreciate if you did not speak ill of our esteemed Hokage."

"Esteemed...? Oh, you poor child," the smaller woman said to Hinata. She turned to her friend. "Listen to her, she is obviously confused! Further proof of that thing's influence, I tell you."

"I assure you," Hinata said, venom dripping from her voice. "I am most certainly not confused."

"This is not good..." Ino said with a wince.

"No," Sakura agreed quietly. "They'll be killed."

"And I really would like for you to keep your opinions to yourselves," Hinata continued, ignoring the two girls behind her. "Please."

"Now, you listen to me girl," the smaller one said with narrowed eyes. "I will say whatever I wish about that... That monster -"

Sakura and Ino face-palmed simultaneously.

"Did they just call Naruto...?"

"Looks like it."

"To Hinata's face?"

"Yeah."

"They are so dead."

"Monster?" Hinata hissed. Veins protruded around her eyes in an instant. "You call the hero of our village a monster?"

"Hero!" The two women scoffed. "That demon..."

"Yes, hero. If it wasn't for Naruto you would be dead, the village would be nothing but ruins and the world would have perished! He saved us all," her voice steadily rose during her speech. "He is a hero, a true hero, kyuubi or no. You do not deserve to look at him, even less talk bad about him." She narrowed her pale eyes to small slits. She was a true sight to behold in her righteous fury. "I will not stand by quietly when anyone say anything bad about the man I love. Is that understood?"

To her grim satisfaction the two women straightened up and looked apologetic and very much frightened.

"H-Hokage-sama," the larger one stammered and bowed low. The other quickly followed suit. "We never..."

Hinata whirled around, her anger replaced by embarrassment and shock.

"Go," Naruto dismissed them without another glance. Sakura and Ino smirked from beside him.

"Naruto, I'm sorry," Hinata looked down at her feet. "I didn't mean to lose my temper."

Naruto's face split into a wide grin as he grabbed her around the waist and spun her around with a sound of pure joy. "Sorry? Who wants to be sorry on a day like this? I'm Hokage, and you are the most amazing person I've ever met! Who cares about them?"

Without further ado, Naruto put Hinata on her feet again and captured her lips with his own.

The forth time, Naruto beats her to it.

"Freedom at last!" Naruto exclaimed when he and Hinata crossed over Konoha's borders. "Don't get me wrong, being Hokage is beyond awesome! I just never thought it would keep me that cooped up in the village doing paper-work... Even this super boring state business mission thing is better than staying indoors one more day. I am getting seriously behind on my hard-earned skills and training – Kibabeat me yesterday. Kiba!"

Hinata gave him a fond look and a smile. She was a bit surprised he had actually managed to go without any field-work and missions for over three months, and still been able to keep the whining to an absolute bare minimum. He had come a long way from the boy she had first fallen in love with all those years ago.

"And," he continued, "I couldn't have had a better partner for this mission than you. Thank you, for wanting to come with me."

Ignoring the warmth she felt coloring her cheeks, she shyly took his hand – he was usually the one to initiate any kind of physical contact between them. She still felt awkward, self-conscious and completely awed he would actually welcome any of her advances, no matter how small. "I will always want to come with you."

"I know," he replied with a particular look in his eyes Hinata still hadn't been able to decipher, even though it had been more and more frequent the last couple of weeks. She wasn't completely clueless; she knew what it maybe, possibly could mean, but she didn't dare to hope. A small kiss on her forehead interrupted her thoughts. She looked up at Naruto, who had a most mischievous smile on his face. "Race you to the camping-site!"

And he was off, up in the tree-tops. Hinata laughed, but was hot on his trail, never losing sight of him.

In the end it was a tie; to celebrate, Naruto declared they must kiss. "I am your Hokage you know, so it would be very unwise to refuse."

"Indeed," Hinata agreed solemnly. "I imagine it would damage my career greatly to slight my superior in such a way."

"Yes, and who knows what a rejected and heartbroken person of immense power such as myself might do then? War is my best guess."

Hinata couldn't quite stifle her giggles anymore. "Well, I don't believe I have a choice then."

"Nope," Naruto said gleefully. "You are far too sweet to have an entire war on your conscience."

Hinata was dimly aware that their behavior might not be entirely appropriate during a mission, but she also noted, as Naruto's lips touched her own, that she did not care in the slightest.

A small, almost undetectable sound made them both break apart instantly alarmed.

Hinata blocked several tiny weapons aimed for her head.

Senbons.

"Well, well, well," a voice said in an easy drawl from behind them. "Isn't this sweet?"

In less then a second, Naruto and Hinata stood back to back, ready to fight if necessary; Naruto with the beginnings of a Rasengan in his hands, Hinata scanning their surroundings with her Byakugan, a small tendril of blood running down her hand, from where a senbon had managed to graze her skin. The man who had spoken was tall and broad-shouldered, maybe in his early twenties, a mask covered half his face. He juggled a kunai lazily in his hand. "They are so cute, don't you agree? Kissing like they don't have a care in the world."

From the trees came more than two dozen men and women, laughing and jostling, leering at the couple they quickly had surrounded.

"Like they have nothing to fear." The man cackled.

"Six of them can wield chakra," Hinata said in a low murmur to Naruto, her voice oddly slurred. "But only the leader and the woman at his side are potential threats, the rest won't last two minutes."

A women next to the man in charge smiled a bloodthirsty grin. "I guess we will have to teach them a lesson then."

Naruto did something then that probably none of the attackers expected. He barked out a hearty laugh. "I would like to see you try. No, seriously, I would!"

The woman stopped smiling abruptly. "His eyes..."

"Oh," the man said and let the kunai he previously was juggling, stop dead in his hand. "Seems like we just hit jackpot. Here I thought we were finally lucky enough to run into a girl with the remarkable Hyuga eyes; turns out we ran into a Hyuga canoodling with the Hokage."

Hinata felt her vision starting to slightly blur, her limbs feeling heavier than before. Slurred speech, blurred vision, fatigue...

Poison.

"Yeah, aren't you lucky?" Naruto remarked, his amusement poorly concealed. "I don't mean to brag – no, actually I do – but we are recognized as the two of the strongest ninja in the nation, probably the world. So tell me, how exactly are you planning to not die?"

"I thought you'd never ask!" The man exclaimed excited.

Hinata deactivated her byakugan to preserve her chakra, mentally running through every possible poison she knew about. She was already showing symptoms – which meant it was a fast-acting one, and extremely potent, considering it had barely grazed her.

"If you don't want the girlie to die a very unpleasant death," the woman said, her feral smile never leaving her face, "you really should consider surrendering."

"Please, she could kick all of your asses without my help."

Pride swelled up inside of Hinata, warming her spirit. Aside from deactivating her byakugan, she had not made the slightest indication to show her rapid deterioration. She was still battle ready, her body still stood firmly with only the tiniest tremble.

The man smirked. "Not for very long. You see, my friend Hokage, your Hyuga is dying as we speak. Megumi here," he gave a nod to the woman. "Is quite accomplished with drugs and poisons. If you know what I'm saying." He laughed cruelly. "And I think you do. Don't you, Hokage?"

As if in confirmation, Hinata made an involuntary strangled sound from the back of her throat. The effort of holding herself up was quickly becoming too much. Her head was swimming. She sank to her knees. She had a nagging feeling she was missing something large... Something important. Something they had said.

"What the hell did you do?" Naruto shouted, enraged. Hinata felt how his chakra was flaring almost uncontrollably."You will die for this!"

"Uh-uh, none of that. You do want her to live, don't you?" The male said. "Come with us, and I swear Megumi will give her the antidote and send her on her way."

Hinata struggled to speak. "D-don't... Listen."

"Actually," the woman, Megumi, said. "I think we will pick up the girl, and trust you to follow. You will follow us willingly then, won't you Blondie? For her."

"No," Hinata's protest was but a faint whisper. Slowly she turned her now unseeing eyes toward the man she loved. "N-Naruto, don't fo-... Follow. Don't."

"You're right," Naruto said quietly. "I will."

"No!" Hinata said, her distress making her voice stronger. She had a suspicion she couldn't shake... If only her head would cooperate! A girl with the remarkable Hyuga eyes. Finally lucky enough. Finally. Hyuga eyes.

They wanted her eyes.

They needed her alive.

They wouldn't risk her l-

"I love her."

The world as Hinata knew it came to a stop. Everything fell silent, if only for an instant.

She dimly felt a pressure on her cheek, lighter than a butterfly's kiss.

"But know this; she dies – you die." A promise, not a threat.

Hinata summoned the last of her strength and with a harsh cry flung a kunai she had hidden in her pouch straight towards the hateful woman. A sharp shriek told her she hadn't missed. "I'm not dying."

...

When she regained her senses again, she lay down on a cot in an unfamiliar room. Her eyes and limbs still felt heavy, but other than that it seemed the drug had done no damage. It also seemed more and more likely it had been a simple sleeping drug of some kind. The door slid open to reveal a smiling Naruto.

"Hey."

Hinata tried to sit up, but mostly managed to make herself terribly dizzy. A strong hand on her back steadied her.

"Easy," Naruto said as he helped her to an upright position. He poured water from a pitcher before sitting down on the bed by her side.

"What... Oh, thank you," Hinata accepted the offered glass of water with a grateful smile. She took a few careful sips before continuing. "What happened?" She gasped as a sudden thought struck her. "Are we prisoners?"

Naruto quirked a brow and took a look around. "A prison that locks from the inside with two beds and a private bathroom? Shouldn't be too hard for us to break out if that's the case."

"Right," Hinata ducked her head embarrassed. She realized now her thought might have been a bit irrational.

"Not sure I'd even want to break out from this place, to be honest. I have absolutely everything I need right here." He brushed back a lock of her from her face with a brilliant smile. "Don't think anyone else would be too happy, though. I still kinda have a village to run..."

Hinata smiled softly. "And the village needs you."

"I wouldn't really say need," Naruto scratched the back of his head, a huge grin on his face. "It's more like they're stuck with me until some other fool is stupid enough to want the job. Which I happen to wish won't be for a long while. I like being Hokage, paper-work be damned!"

"No," Hinata took his hand earnestly in her own. "The village really does need you. Far more than it needs me." She took a deep breath. "Which is why you must promise me, to never jeopardize your life for my sake again."

Naruto took a firmer hold of her hands. "No."

Hinata was so shocked she only managed to blink.

"Would you promise me to never put your life at risk for me?"

"That's not the same, people need you more than they need me," Hinata protested.

"What about what I need? What about what I want?" Naruto never broke his eye-contact. "I need you. I have risked my life for complete strangers, it's what I do; it's who I am. Why wouldn't I do the same for the most precious person in my life?"

Hinata didn't have an answer; at least none that wouldn't make her a hypocrite. "But earlier..."

"Those low-lives? Didn't take me five minutes to take out all of them," Naruto smiled confidently. "I'm not a complete idiot, Hinata. I knew that even though they said they would keep you alive, they most probably wouldn't. Why poison somebody and then keep an antidote on your own person? That's just... Stupid. Which is why I needed to take them out as soon as possible and get you to a healer. When I supposedly surrendered I was in fact summoning my clones – piece of cake after that! Especially since you distracted them pretty damn good by that kunai throw – they didn't see that one coming, that's for sure!"

Hinata's cheek turned slightly pink. "Naruto, I-"

"I love you," Naruto interrupted her hastily. "Just wanted to say it first, for once."

Hinata glowed, her whole face radiating devotion.

"Aaaaand, on that note, I think we should sleep," Naruto declared, suddenly embarrassed. "It's late, and we have a big, boring, diplomatic day tomorrow." He removed his jacket and shoes, and threw them haphazardly on the other floor. "So scoot, I am dead beat."

Hinata complied, her heart beating a mile a minute. She couldn't decide whether to be disappointed or relieved when he only drew her close to his side and then promptly fell asleep. She looked up at his face, serene and relaxed in sleep, and settled for simply ecstatic that he was next to her; her whom he had said he loved.

There would be more nights.

Plenty more nights.

End of part Two.

Next up is Shikamaru and Ino, and they are going to kiss three times before they get it right...