Last Time:
Naruto wore a broad grin on his face. "Great! Great. That's…great. Next Friday night after midterms."
Hinata nodded.
"Well, I should let you get some rest," Naruto said. "Good night."
Hinata nodded again before hurrying to her dorm. Naruto stood there on the steps grinning for a few moments more before skipping down the steps. He headed back towards the café, his dorm being on the other end of campus. His four-hour nap being dwindled down into two-hours.
The Sun & The Moon: Chapter 2 – "It's nice to meet you…"
Naruto knew himself to be a nervous person because of his overwhelming amount of confidence, but at the moment, he couldn't help but anxiously tap his foot and continuously rub his sweaty palms against his slacks. He looked beside him to where Hinata sat who seemed just as nervous as he was and with good reason: Naruto was about to meet her parents.
She placed a somewhat steady hand on his knee, and that seemed to relax him a little. "Relax."
"Easier said than done," Naruto said as he wiped his hands again before holding her hand. He kissed the back of her hand a few times before looking at her. "I'm just worried."
Hinata smiled. "You don't have to be, they'll love you," she assured him as she kissed the back of his hand.
Naruto wore a small smile. He stared at her for a bit before he noticed Hinata look towards the door. He looked as well and there he saw Hyuuga Hiashi and Hyuuga Hiyori. He'd only seen Hiashi from a distance, but now they were in the same building, and Naruto couldn't help but feel a sudden shift in the room.
From his first look at Hinata's parents, he saw that Hinata was the spitting image of her mother. She had the same navy-blue hair that was bone straight and flowed down her back and the same lavender tinted eyes. She seemed just as delicate as Hinata, and so, Naruto felt hopeful when it came to trying to impress her mother. Her father was a different story.
Hiyori spotted Hinata first. Hinata tapped Naruto's knee, and they both stood as Hiyori and Hiashi approached the table. Naruto noticed that Hiashi smiled as he hugged his daughter and kissed her cheek.
"Good evening, Father," Hinata greeted him.
"Good evening," Hiashi greeted in return before looking her over. "You seem to be doing well, and the last grade report you sent us was better than I had hoped. I was," Hiashi looked at Naruto now, "concerned when you said you had begun dating someone. I was worried you would get distracted and that your grades would begin to slip but I see that that's not the case. And you are?"
"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, sir," Naruto formally introduced himself and held out his hand.
Hiashi seemed to inspect Naruto's hand for a brief moment before taking it. His grip was firm and strong. Luckily Naruto's father and grandfather had a whole seminar with him about the proper handshake before he went off to college, so he matched Hiashi's grip.
"Oh, a firm handshake," Hiashi noted as he and Naruto let go of one another's hand. "Well, that's certainly a pleasant surprise. I'm Hyuuga Hiashi, and this is my wife, Hiyori."
"It's nice to meet you," Naruto greeted with a charming smile as he looked at Hiyori.
"It's nice to meet you finally, Naruto-kun," Hiyori gushed as she linked her arm with Hinata's. "You never told me he was this handsome though," she said in not a whisper.
Hinata blushed a bit. "Mother."
"Well I'm glad to see where Hinata gets her looks from finally," Naruto said. "I'm sure had I met you in any other setting, I would've mistaken you for her sister."
"Oh please, go on," Hiyori urged which gained a grunt from Hiashi and a bright pink blush on Hinata's cheek. Hiyori took her seat across from Naruto while Hiashi sat beside her. "I didn't expect you to be charming too. You're definitely an improvement over her last boyfriend."
"Thank you." Naruto began to relax a bit. He'd won over Hinata's mother earlier than he had expected so that meant the rest of the dinner wouldn't consist of serious jitters and nerves for him. His palms had stopped sweating too right before he shook hands with Hiashi.
"So," Hiashi spoke up first, "how long have the two of you been dating?"
"Six months," Hinata answered as a waiter came by and handed Hiashi their wine menu while another came up and placed their appetizers on the table between the four of them. "We met on the day of my freshmen orientation."
"Did you?" Hiyori picked up one of the saucers the waiter had placed on the table and picked up a few pieces of their appetizers and placed them on her plate.
"Yeah," Naruto said as he handed Hinata a saucer. "We had bumped into one another because neither of us was paying attention to where we were going. I helped her pick up her things, but she ran off before I could get her name at the time."
"What are you studying again?" Hiashi questioned as he handed the wine menu back to the waiter after having ordered a bottle for the table.
"I'm finishing up my MBA in Marketing, Financing, and Entrepreneurship," Naruto answered.
"Interesting," Hiashi hummed. "What do you plan to do with your degree once you graduate?"
"Well, at the moment, I'm scheduled to start working underneath my father and grandfather at The Sannin Group," Naruto confessed.
"That's quite the impressive company," Hiyori complimented. "What do your father and grandfather do there?"
"My grandfather is the Chairman, and my father is the Vice Chairman," Naruto answered and saw both Hiashi and Hiyori pause.
Hiashi placed the piece of gyoza he'd just reached for and seemed to be processing what he just heard. He cleared his throat. "You said they're the Chairman and Vice Chairman?"
"Yes sir," Naruto confirmed.
"So, your grandfather is Otomi Jiraiya, and your father is Namikaze Minato?" Hiashi questioned.
"Yes sir," Naruto answered again. "I use my mother's last name as a safety hazard."
"That's understandable," Hiyori said. "Hinata never mentioned though that you had such a connection to The Sannin Group. So, then you're close with the Uchiha then from Uchiha Incorporated?"
"I am actually best friends with the youngest son," Naruto confirmed. "He and I have been friends since we were in diapers."
"Interesting," Hiashi hummed before finally eating the piece of gyoza he'd picked up a moment ago.
"Naruto-kun?"
Naruto looked up and saw his mother and father standing hand in hand just behind Hiashi and Hiyori.
"Okaa-chan, Otou-san," Naruto stood up and came around the table. He hugged his mother first before shaking hands with his father and hugging him. "What're you doing here?"
"We realized we hadn't been here in a while, so we decided to come out," Minato answered before he noticed who was sitting at the table. "Oh, Hyuuga Hiashi-san, yes?"
"Ah, yes," Hiashi stood up with Hiyori and shook hands with Minato. "It's nice to meet you Namikaze-san."
"Just call me Minato," Minato suggested. He noticed Hinata standing by the table. "Oh, hello."
"Hello," Hinata greeted.
"Otou-san," Naruto went and stood beside Hinata, "Okaa-chan, this is Hyuuga Hinata, my girlfriend."
"So, this is the famous Hyuuga Hinata that has our son experiencing lovesickness," Kushina gushed, and now Naruto was the one to blush. "She's definitely as beautiful as you described, Naru-chan."
"Why don't you join us for dinner?" Hiyori suggested. "This is actually our first time meeting your son, and it seems it's your first time meeting our daughter as well. Why don't we have dinner together and get to know one another."
Kushina and Minato shared a look before smiling. They joined them. The seats shifted so that Hiashi sat at one end of the table and Minato sat at the other. Hiyori and Kushina sat beside one another on one side with Hinata and Naruto on the other.
"How are your classes going?" Minato questioned as he looked at Naruto. "I know you were having trouble with that one professor?"
"My classes are going well," Naruto answered. "I'm managing with that professor thanks to Sasuke, but he's still a bit of a nightmare. But, I only have to deal with him for a few more weeks before I graduate, so I'm holding on."
"That's the spirit, dattebane," Kushina encouraged.
Kushina's enthusiasm was refreshing.
"So, Hina-kun," Kushina looked to Hinata, "do you have any siblings?"
"I have a younger sister named Hanabi," Hinata answered. "She can be a bit of a handful, but I guess that's standard for little sisters."
Naruto nodded in agreement. "Tell me about it."
"You have a younger sister?" Hiyori asked.
"Yeah," Naruto confirmed. "I have an older brother, a twin brother, and a younger sister."
"That's quite the full house," Hiashi commented.
"Lively too," Minato commented as he pulled out his phone and brought up a picture of their family. He handed it off to Naruto and Naruto showed them the chaotic family photo.
"That's my older brother Kakashi, his wife Anko, and their son Kosuke. Then there's Menma and Naruko," Naruto pointed out each of them.
"Well the resemblance between Menma, Naruko, and yourself is uncanny," Hiyori commented. "What about Kakashi?"
"We adopted Kakashi when he was about seven or eight," Kushina informed. "His father was something like a mentor to Minato-kun, and after he and his wife suddenly passed away, we brought Kakashi into our home."
Minato took his phone back from Naruto. "Kakashi is a terrific kid. But what about you two? Do you have siblings?"
"I have a younger identical twin brother," Hiashi answered.
"I have an older brother," Hiyori answered. "What about you?"
"I have three younger siblings," Minato answered.
"I have a younger brother," Kushina answered.
For an hour, they all shared embarrassing stories involving their siblings. Partway through one of Hiyori's stories, Naruto shared a look with Minato and Minato winked at his son. He was relieved his parents had miraculously shown up and made the dinner easier on him. They had a talent for making people open to them, and Naruto had yet to master that.
When their food came out, Minato and Naruto were in the middle of putting their napkins in their laps when Hinata and Kushina swiped some food off of their plates. Kushina and Hinata shared a smile, and Hiyori looked at Hiashi with a sweet smile. Hiashi let out a heavy sigh and pushed his plate towards her, and she happily took some food from his plate as well.
"So, you're studying to become a lawyer?" Minato questioned as he picked up his glass of wine.
"I am," Hinata answered. "I'm hoping to join my uncle's law firm once I graduate in another year."
"Oh, you graduate next year? That's fairly early," Kushina commented.
Hinata nodded, "I've been taking extra classes when I can, along with online classes during the summer."
"That's very impressive," Minato said. "Especially when you're at Konoha University. In my four years there, I don't think I slept to be quite honest with you."
Hinata smiled. "Sleeping is definitely a luxury, but I've managed to get some sleep every few days."
"Oh, I just thought of this." Minato tapped Naruto's forearm before looking at Hinata and her family. "Why don't you all join us for our trip right after Naruto's graduation? We're opening our new seaside beach resort in Suna City, and we would love it if you joined us."
"I'm not sure," Hiashi murmured.
"We'd love to come," Hiyori chimed in. "We're overdue for a vacation anyway. We can bring Hizashi-kun and his family as well and turn it into one big family vacation."
"There's plenty of room, so you're welcomed to bring them," Minato assured them.
"See," Hiyori mused as she hit her husband's arm. "It'll only be for a few days, and you could use the vacation."
Hiashi looked at Hinata, and though she wasn't saying anything, the look in her eyes told everything. He sighed and looked at Minato. "Very well. Thank you for the invitation."
"Perfect." Kushina clapped her hands together before sharing a grin with Hiyori.
They ended their dinner with Minato, Hiashi, and Naruto arguing over who would pay. They ultimately decided to pay for themselves and their respective dates before they all wandered outside together. Kushina and Minato hugged Hinata, the two of them expressing their joy for finally being able to meet her. Naruto hugged Hiyori who expressed her happiness for Hinata finding someone like him and Naruto shared another firm handshake with Hiashi.
Naruto and Hinata saw their parents off before they climbed into his car, the two of them letting out heavy sighs of relief at the same time before Naruto pulled away from the curb.
"I really like your parents," Hinata said as she held Naruto's hand. "And now I finally know where you get your verbal tick from."
Naruto chuckled. "Yeah. I wasn't expecting them to be there, but I'm glad everything worked out. We probably should've planned a joint dinner in the first place dattebayo."
"Probably," Hinata agreed. She looked out the window and noticed something. "Where are we going?"
"To your dorm," Naruto answered. "I think I left something there last time I was there and I just wanted to check to see if it was there."
"What'd you leave?" Hinata asked.
"One of my notebooks for class," Naruto said. "The black one with the Kurama sticker on the front?"
Hinata thought for a moment. "I thought I saw that in your room earlier tonight though? You were studying from it while I was getting dressed, weren't you?"
Naruto shrugged. "Maybe? I couldn't find it."
Hinata eyed for Naruto a moment. Naruto noticed how she stared at him and he looked at her. "Hinata?"
"Nothing," Hinata sang.
Naruto chuckled. "Whatever you say."
When they reached the campus, Naruto and Hinata strolled back to her dorm hand in hand. As they walked, Hinata recognized they path they were on.
"We came this way that night you walked me home," Hinata remembered.
Naruto nodded. "Yup."
Hinata smiled at the memory. While she thought back on that night from six months ago, she didn't notice that Naruto led her down a path that didn't take her back to her dorm. She noticed quickly though and looked up at him. "I thought we were going back to my dorm?"
"Nah," Naruto answered. "Here we are."
Hinata stopped with him and saw they were in their school's quad by the fountain. "What're we doing here?"
Naruto chuckled as he pulled her along and positioned her in one spot. "It was here, that you and I bumped into each other almost four years ago."
Hinata blinked a few times before looking around and remembering the embarrassing moment. She smiled and looked at Naruto. "How do you remember the exact spot?"
"It's because it's where I saw you for the first time," Naruto told her. "And if I remember correctly, I fell on the ground kind of like this?" Naruto knelt down and pulled a velvet box from his inner jacket pocket.
"Naruto-kun?" Hinata could barely get the name out.
"I know this is very corny, but I just want you to bear with me on this, okay?" Naruto requested and smiled when Hinata nodded. "Four years ago, we bumped into each other in this very spot, and it took us three years and six months to get to where we are. These last six months have by far been the best of my life, and I love you more than I thought possible. I could be having the worse day, but your smile makes it better. Your laugh puts me on Cloud 9, and your smile warms my heart. If I could go back in time and tell myself to chase after you that day, I would do it in a heartbeat just so that I could spend more time with you."
Hinata already had tears in her eyes. They began to stream down her face when he opened the box and revealed the radiant cut diamond nestled inside.
"By the end of our first date, I knew I wanted to make you my wife," Naruto confessed, his voice beginning to fail him. "It took everything in me not to propose to you on our second date because Hagoromo knows I would've dropped down to one knee before you opened that door."
Hinata was crying now.
"You are my whole heart, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, Hyuuga Hinata, will you marry me?" Naruto asked.
"Yes," Hinata managed as she nodded.
Naruto grinned larger than he ever had before. He slid the ring onto her left hand before getting up and pressing his lips against hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed back.
To Be Continued…